I Die Without You
by Eliliyah
Summary: Boston in the winter. A fake Catholic with a guitar. The town slut without a clue. A gay best friend without a penny to style his hero hair. Oh, and one meddling little brother with a plan. What could go wrong? Klaroline Human AU Multichap based on the prompt slut!Caroline deflowers virgin!Klaus. Slow, and very awkward, burn with eventual smut.
1. I Didn't Recognize You w o the Handcuffs

A/N Hey readers! I've had this in the works for a while. This started as a request for my fabulous fellow fanfic writer, DarkGhostLight. The prompt was a smut drabble involving slut!Caroline and virgin!Klaus… however, if you're at all familiar with my writing, you must know by now that I should never be trusted with a prompt. ;)

You can read this if you aren't familiar with Jonathan Larson's magnum opus, "RENT." However, if you haven't seen it, I HIGHLY recommend that you do. The song featured in this chapter is, "Light My Candle." It'll help if you check it out on YouTube at the very least. Please let me know what you think!

Oh, and if you think religious!Klaus is way too OOC… Keep the faith. More will be revealed.

Chapter One: I Didn't Recognize You Without the Handcuffs

If anyone other than Henrik Mikaelson had asked Caroline Forbes for this big a favor, she would have laughed… but how was she supposed to say no to a sick kid? Caroline was working her way through Boston University's College of Fine Arts as a theater major. One of her many jobs was as a speech tutor. She had begun tutoring Henrik over two years ago when she first enrolled as a Freshman. As a 21-year-old Junior, she was among the stars of the spring musical, Rent. Henrik had begged her to choose his favorite show and now she knew why.

"Come on, Caroline. My brother will be a great Roger! And he needs the arts credit to graduate!" Henrik pleaded from his wheelchair. The fifteen-year-old had been diagnosed with chronic active Epstein–Barr virus infection (CAEBV) as a young child. Since then, it had been one infection after another. It was a miracle he had survived this long, but his luck had been running out for a long time. He had lost almost all of the use of his legs after an infection attacked his spinal cord a year ago. While he wasn't terminal, his prognosis was bleak.

Caroline groaned. Niklaus Mikaelson was Henrik's sole caretaker and quite possibly the most pious and boring man she had ever met. They got along well enough in front of Henrik, but they couldn't stand each other in private. She didn't even have his number; just an email he used to send her money before she started sending it back. He'd been a brilliant student and was offered a full scholarship to Harvard; but had turned it down when their parents died in a plane crash when he was 18. Someone had to take care of his three younger siblings. Klaus had nominated himself even though he knew it would make the hectic pressure of the Ivy league impossible. Family above all: always and forever.

Klaus was one of seven children. His two older brothers and sister had moved away before the accident and his younger sister and brother had grown up and gone their separate ways, leaving Klaus alone with Henrik in their family's mansion. Fortunately, Mikael and Esther Mikaelson had both come from old New England money and all seven Mikaelson children had inherited millions, meaning Klaus didn't have to work. Taking care of his sick brother was a full-time job by itself, even with private nurses. As a result, the dirty blonde-haired man had been slowly working his way through Boston University getting a pre-law degree. At 25, he was finally in his last semester.

In spite of Henrik's love of theater, Klaus hadn't yet taken a performing arts class. If the young blonde didn't put in a good word with the senior directing the play, Klaus wouldn't stand a chance. It was an advanced theater class and he hadn't taken the prerequisites, but with Stefan Salvatore vouching for him, Caroline was sure the head of the theater department would make an exception. Since Stefan was her lifelong best friend, Caroline knew all it would take was a phone call. Henrik knew it, too. He was sick, not stupid.

Klaus had become obsessed with religion after their parents died. He'd never had much of a social life before, let alone a girlfriend, but now his life revolved around Henrik and God, with Jesus as his only friend. Caroline was the exact opposite. She thought of herself as a free spirit flitting around the city doing as she pleased. She and Stefan had grown up in the small Virginia town of Mystic Falls. Everyone went to church on Sunday, so she certainly didn't have anything against Klaus' love of Jesus, but she had never bought into his Catholic concepts like sin and eternal damnation.

While the role of Mimi Marquez was made for her, Klaus had never been in a musical in his life. The one thing he did have going for him was that he had a great voice and could lose himself in the electric guitar like no one she had ever seen. His sole recreational activity was playing in his church's Christian rock band every Sunday. She'd heard his voice and seen his fingers dance across the strings every time Henrik coerced her into driving him so Klaus could go in early.

With a sigh and a dramatic eye role, Caroline conceded defeat. "Fine. I'll get him the role, but you're gonna have to work with him, Henrik, and he'd better not suck," she negotiated, pointing her finger at the rapidly balding teen. His most recent illness was infectious mononucleosis, which had caused acute hepatitis. He was on a combination of ombitasvir, paritaprevir, and ritonavir, a side effect of which was hair loss. He could barely get out of bed, but he had insisted she come for their lesson. She came to see him twice a week in spite of the fact that she had been refusing Klaus' paychecks since Henrik had withdrawn from school after Halloween.

Caroline's mother, Liz Forbes, was an emotionally distant sheriff back home in Virginia where she lived with her lesbian lover, Lily Salvatore, Stefan's mother. Bill Forbes, her father, had run out on them for a gay lover a decade before. If that's what love was, she had no interest. Sex, however… she had a massive interest in that. While she'd never had a relationship, she'd had relations with a different man, or woman, whenever and wherever she felt like it.

Henrik wheeled across the living room to her and attempted to fling himself into her arms. Before he had the chance, Caroline had bolted straight for him and stopped him just before he fell on the expensive Oriental rug. "Thank you Carebear!" the teenager shouted, hugging her tight form his chair while she bent down to accept his embrace. Letting go of her, he shouted, "NIKLAUS!"  
Klaus thundered down the stairs and ran to the living room, nearly falling over Henrik's chair in his haste to get to him. Henrik batted him away. "Nik, I'm fine! God, would you stop fussing over me already?"

Klaus stepped back and crossed his arms over his chest, gazing sternly at his younger brother. "Do not take the Lord's name in vain, Henrik Mikaelson," he lectured, drawing another eyeroll from Caroline behind his back.

Henrik stifled a giggle before addressing his big brother. "Guess what!" he asked excitedly, practically bouncing in his wheelchair. Klaus raised a questioning eyebrow at him before looking to Caroline suspiciously. "Caroline is gonna let you play Roger in Rent!" he babbled enthusiastically. Klaus looked stunned and Caroline realized he had no clue what Henrik had asked of her. Completely undeterred by his lack of interest, he continued. "For your arts credit! If you do the show, you can graduate this year! Finally!"

Klaus groaned, dragging his hands down in face in frustration. "Henrik, that show is about sin and the consequences that go along with crimes against God. You shouldn't even know about it, let alone expect me to play a role."

Henrik ignored his reasoning and countered, "It's about love, Nik!" Klaus gave him a bored expression. "Come on, this is my chance to see you graduate. It'll be so fun! And it's such a great message!" The older man squinted his eyes and gave him a pitying look while Caroline beamed at her little protégé. She had instilled in him a deep love of theater, and of life, that helped get him through disease after disease. Not one to share in their eternal optimism, Klaus merely felt confused. What message from a show about sinners living with HIV could possibly speak to his brother to warrant such infectious joy that had both he and the former head cheerleader grinning? "It's about finding a reason to love wherever you go – no matter what life hands you! It's about music and film and art and friendship and music. It's about living for today, right, Caroline? No day but today?" he asked hopefully.

Caroline nodded at him, smirking at Klaus. "Right, Henrik," she confirmed, ruffling his shaggy brown hair. "So, Klausy, you up for it?" she asked teasingly, having refused to call him Nik after he told her that the costumes in "Moulin Rouge" promoted prostitution. While that was technically true since she was playing a courtesan, she hadn't appreciated his judgement.

Klaus looked between the two and knew he was trapped. Henrik wouldn't let up and Caroline wouldn't let her favorite student down. "Fine. I'll do it for you, little brother," he conceded with a grimace. Turning to Caroline, he asked, annoyed, "What do I have to do?"

Caroline blew a bubble with her bright pink bubble gum, and popped it, as she reached into her bag and pulled out a songbook and a script. She pressed them into his chest and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Start studying, pretty boy, and meet me at my place tomorrow. I'm out of class at 3:00, so come around 3:30. Don't be late," she said sternly. She hated it when her perfectly planned schedule got derailed. Klaus looked like a man sentenced to community service in the sewers. Glaring at him, she couldn't say she felt any different. If it had been anyone else asking… "Henrik, I'll see you in a couple days," she added sweetly, kissing the young boy on the cheek before sashaying out the door.

XXXXXX

The first thing Caroline noticed when she opened the front door to her rented townhouse was that Klaus had brought her favorite of his three cars. Hhe locked his sleek silver 2019 Porsche 911 Carrera with a beep and walked to the front door. "I'm still waiting for a ride in that car, Klausy," Caroline commented, snapping her bubble gum. "You try out the backseat yet?" she teased, winking at him.

Klaus rolled his eyes. "My name is Niklaus and it's a convertible. The backseat is too small to serve any practical purpose, as you must know." When she unlocked the door without comment, he added, "My little brother insisted upon it, but the entire vehicle is rather impractical for Boston in the winter if you ask me."

"God, Klaus!" she groaned. "Could you possibly be any LESS interesting?" she moaned, throwing her head back dramatically. She held the door open for him as he looked her over. She was barefoot in grey denim shorts over black leggings and a red tank top that showed off a lot of creamy white cleavage beneath a black bolero ballerina shrug. He was in his usual dark jeans and a grey Henley over boots, black wool winter coat dusted in fresh snow.

Klaus' jaw dropped defensively as he hung up his winter coat. "I will have you know that I am VERY interesting, miss theater major," he retorted with attitude. Crossing his arms defensively over his muscled chest, he informed her, "I've written songs that have found their way onto five different albums from top recording artists."

Without looking at him as she turned on several speakers, Caroline rolled her eyes and replied, "Yeah, and I'm sure every single one is about your BFF."

"They're about Jesus," he defended with narrowed eyes.

"Like I said," she mocked. Caroline picked up her songbook and scrolled to the track for "Light My Candle" on her phone before pairing it with the living room stereo. With her back turned to him as she pressed play, she snarked, "You might be interesting to some boring Jesus people, but not to me… Or did you suddenly become a Tony winner on the drive over here in your oh-so-impractical Porsche?"

Klaus glared at her. "I've better uses for my time than singing blasphemous songs and choreographing stripper moves," he snapped, quickly hardening his face to cover up the flash of hurt threatening to reveal itself to the gorgeous blonde. He'd never admit it, but he longed for the approval she so easily gave his little brother. Henrik was his blood, but he was also Caroline's family.

"Yeah, well, I have better uses for my time than trying to teach an old fuddy duddy how to live for today, but I can't exactly say no to Henrik, so let's just get this over with," she said, shaking her head in aggravation. Two minutes in and he had already started with the Catholic dogma. She knocked on the wall as the music began to mimic the sound of the door knock at the start of the song.

Ten minutes in and Caroline didn't care about his attitude towards living for today anymore and decided it would be fun to rile him up instead. She thought crawling around on all fours and wiggling her ass at the pious pre-law student was hilarious, but he didn't even crack a smile. "Klaus?" she asked, drawing his eyes to hers. "I SAID 'They say that I have the best ass below 14th street. Is it true?'" she sang, shaking her ass at him from the floor as she giggled at his horrified expression.

Klaus nearly choked before he managed to sing his one-word line. "What?"

Caroline grinned and wiggled again. "You're staring again," she sang. "KLAUS!" she suddenly yelled, sitting up to kneel at his feet, making sure he got a full view of her ample breasts. "You are supposed to actually STARE at my ASS! It's literally your role," she said emphatically, rolling her eyes.

Klaus didn't even look down at her. "I know the lines, sweetheart. Henrik kept me up half the night running them over and over, babbling about messages and the meaning of life."

"Yeah," she said, annoyance evident on her pretty face. "The show's message is that the meaning of life is to love, altar boy."

Klaus glared at her, intentionally refusing to look down her shirt. "The meaning of life is to serve God and care for one's family."

Caroline groaned and stood up to face him, tugging down her camisole so the top of her lacy black bra peeked out above the low neckline. She made a point of slowly running her hands down her sides as she smoothed down the fabric. She smirked when she finally saw him cast his gaze downwards. She stepped closer to him and looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes as she pulled the thin cotton up above her breasts to flash him her lingerie. "Do you go to the Cat Scratch Club? That's where I work: I dance. Help me look!" she sang, pouting.

Klaus blinked his eyes rapidly and turned away, taking a step back. With no emotion, the young man sang, "Yes! They used to tie you up–"

Caroline stepped closer to him again and cupped both breasts in her hand, massaging them as he refused to look. "It's a living," she sang in a sultry tone that was easily justified by her role as a stripper. She rolled her belly suggestively and he took another step back.

"Can you please stop throwing yourself at me?!" he snapped. "Is part of theater trying to seduce your costar?" he added angrily.

"I AM PLAYING A STRIPPER, KLAUS!" she shouted, beyond frustrated that he wasn't checking her out in the slightest. Didn't he know what she could do with her tongue and velvety singer's throat?

Klaus looked at her, his face deadpan. "And here I thought this was acting," he said sarcastically.

Caroline narrowed her eyes at him and played the music to keep from throttling him. "It's a living," she sang, pushing her anger aside and falling back into character as best she could.

"I didn't recognize you without the handcuffs," Klaus sang, forcing himself to make eye contact with her, his expression unamused.

"We could light the candle," the blonde cheerleader sang. Smirking, she pulled a tiny unused plastic bag out of her back pocket and held it in front of his nose, pretending it was the heroin her character loved. "Oh, won't you light the candle?" she cooed, seductively rolling the notes off her tongue.

Klaus had no problem turning up his nose in disgust as Roger when he sang his next line. "Why don't you forget that stuff?" He reached for the bag as he sang his lecture to the faux addict. "You look like you're sixteen."

Caroline snatched the bag back and slipped it down into her panties. "I'm nineteen," she lulled, waiting for him to take the bait. "But I'm old for my age. I'm just born to be bad," she sang, rolling her belly in an exotic dance move, bra still on display. Klaus made no attempt to even look where the bag had gone.

"I once was born to be bad," Klaus began, but she cut him off.

Caroline pulled down her shirt and clicked off the music with the remote. "Ohmigod! Klaus! You are terrible at this! You were supposed to steal the bag!" she complained, pulling the bag out and throwing it at his face.

Klaus' jaw dropped as his eyes reflected his incredulity. "I am SUPPOSED to find it on the floor! There is literally a line where your character asks what mine picked up and my character tells yours that he picked up a candy bar wrapper! It is NOT supposed to go in your… your…" he stuttered, voice trailing off as he gestured at her shorts.

"Pussy, Klaus. The word is pussy," she told him firmly, exasperated.

"I was going to say panties," he snapped, eyebrows wrinkling as he sneered at her.

Caroline rolled her eyes and threw her hands up in the air, letting them fall back to her hips. "My panties are where I keep my pussy!" she sassed. "Have you even HAD someone light your candle?" she groaned, hands on hips.

"Caroline, just because I don't smoke marijuana like you does not mean I have never struck a match. I am quite capable of lighting my own candle," he said, glaring at her as he crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

Caroline's jaw dropped as she scoffed at him, offended. "Listen, you judgmental asshole, not only do I NOT smoke pot, or anything else, but I don't even drink! Just because I don't pray five times a day doesn't mean I do drugs!" she shouted.

"What is wrong with praying?" he asked, throwing his hands up. He was completely vexed by her aversion to the Lord.

"Umm… what isn't?" she asked, voice dripping in sarcasm. "The only thing praying has going for it is that it gives you an excuse to be on your knees if your roommate walks in when you have a date…" The blonde paused to scoff, eyeing him up and down. "Not that YOU have that problem."

"I've been on dates, thank you very much," Klaus countered, sneering at her. "However, at this point in my life I prefer God's love to that of a woman."

"Uh huh," she nodded, irritated. "Pretty sure that's a no to getting your candle lit, right?" The dirty blonde man squinted his eyes at her, clearly confused by her metaphor. "I'm talking about sex, Klausy mousey. This song is about getting it on, or didn't you notice? When I asked if anyone's 'lit your candle,' I was asking if you've ever fucked."

"Caroline!" Klaus gasped. "What an inappropriate question! Of course, I haven't had sex. I am unmarried, as are you," he said pointedly. "If you're telling me you've defiled your body with premarital intercourse, then I'd say you need all the prayer you can get!"

"Klaus, sweetie, you are not Jesus," she said with a bored eye roll, her tone pitying. "People fuck. They fuck all the time. Every minute of every day somebody somewhere is getting fucked. People exist because people fuck. Your parents fucked to make you and your many siblings, my favorite of whom is the only reason I'm even putting up with your self-righteous bullshit," she ranted.

"My parents married several YEARS before my sister Freya was born. My siblings and I are all a result of the command God made in Genesis 35:11 to 'be fruitful and multiply.' My parents did not 'fuck!'" he informed her, finger quotes emphasizing the profane word he obviously never spoke, if the disgusted expression on his face was any indication.

"Yeah… ok… Sure they didn't. I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, bible boy, but babies aren't the only reason people fuck. Some people fuck because they like it. I," she said, crossing her arms over her chest dramatically, "like to fuck. A lot," she added emphatically.

"Of that I have no doubt, Caroline," Klaus snipped, his lip curling at her proclamation. "Although I sincerely hope you have not shared your enthusiastic joy of sinful behavior with my brother."

"God!" she growled, throwing up her hands and spinning on her bare feet. "There you go again with the judgment! I love that kid, too, okay? I would never be inappropriate with him, you sick fuck," she snarled. "You know what else? I'm pretty sure Jesus told his peeps not to judge his hooker friend, so I guess that means you shouldn't be judging me!" she shouted.

Klaus stared at her, slack jawed and wide eyed. "Mary Magdalene was a woman possessed by seven demons! They were the reason she engaged in such blasphemous activities! God's only begotten son, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior I might remind you, commanded the demons to leave her, thus freeing her of the affliction from which you apparently suffer as well! I am quite certain that when Jesus returns, he will provide you with the same gift!"

Caroline was furious as she shouted at him, hands on hips. "You know what Mr. Holier Than Thou? I don't WANT Jesus to give me a gift! I like to fuck. No, I LOVE to fuck," she lectured, growing more frustrated by the second at the condescending look on his stupid face. "I love having my PUSSY filled every night with a giant UNHOLY cock that I'm NOT married to! I love getting fucked in the ASS by a DIFFERENT cock who I am ALSO not married to. I love fucking cocks with my HANDS and making come shoot onto my boobs, or sometimes my face, if I feel like it. I even love SUCKING cock because that's getting fucked in the MOUTH! I love it so much that if I could leave RIGHT NOW and go get fucked," she continued, pointing towards her front door, "I'd tell you to lock up on your way out so I could go come my brains out because THAT'S what happens when I fuck! Get over it!"

"Jesus, Caroline! I did not need to know all of that!" he retorted, his face a mask of shocked disgust.

"Oh, you should be THANKING me for talking to you about fucking, since you clearly know absolutely nothing about it from personal experience," she said, squinting at him. "Do you?" she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.

Klaus groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head from side to side in aggravation. "If it will end this highly indecent interrogation of yours, no, I have never engaged in any type of sexual activity with the women I've courted."

"Wait, never?" Caroline's jaw dropped and her eyes widened. "You're a VIRGIN? Seriously, Klaus?!" she asked, shock evident on her elfin face.

The young man glared at her but didn't respond. Her stomach suddenly clenched when she saw genuine pain flash across his face before he turned away to pick up his backpack. "I think that's enough talk of candles for today, Miss Forbes. The auditorium is free at 5:00. We can start fresh with, 'Another Day.'"

Remorse filled her when she realized she'd struck a chord. "Hey," the bubbly blonde said quietly, resting her hand on his shoulder as she approached him from behind. "If you don't want to hook up with anyone, that's cool, ok?" She bit her lower lip when he didn't answer. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad," she whispered sincerely. He was a judgmental prick, absolutely; but she admired how much he'd sacrificed for his brother's health.

Klaus eyed her sideways, staring at her hand on his shoulder. "You needn't apologize," he replied, his tone soft and his volume low as he looked down at her plush carpet. "It isn't necessary." The loner casually took a few steps out the front door and turned away, her hand retreating from his shoulder. "Goodbye, love," he whispered as he closed the door behind him.


	2. Before the Virus Takes Hold

A/N Thank you to the few of you who took the time to read this one. I appreciate it. :)

Chapter Two – Before the Virus Takes Hold

Later that night, Caroline held up a finger for her best friend and director, Stefan Salvatore, to wait until she finished downing her Cherry Coke, extra cherries. After the glass was empty, the young actress set her glass on the bar and turned to him. Rolling her eyes, she groaned so loudly that the guy sitting next to them looked over. She gave him a flirty wink and turned away before she saw his blush. The sexy blonde was well known in the small Boston bar. "He's just such an ass! I don't know how the hell I'm supposed to deal with his holier-than-thou act for an entire semester," she griped about her new co-star.

"You're the one who asked me to cast him as Roger," Stefan reminded her, sipping his Shirley Temple from a straw. Extra cherries.

Caroline scoffed. "Yeah, because a sick kid begged me to! God! I'm such a sucker," she said in frustration. "I don't know how I get myself into these messes!" she moaned, dramatically burying her face in her arms on the top of the slick mahogany bar.

Stefan couldn't help but laugh at his oldest friend. They'd met in Sunday school when they were two. Growing up, they'd had the same teachers, same choir rehearsals, same crushes... Caroline was the first person Stefan had ever told he was gay. They'd been thirteen in the treehouse he and his older brother, Damon, had built in the woods behind their family's boardinghouse. During a round of truth or dare, Caroline had dared Stefan to admit that he liked boys. After swearing her to secrecy, he confided in her that it was true. As an adult, it was less of a secret... way less. Fortunately, he was a theater major in a big city in an even bigger blue state. Nobody in Boston cared who he went home with here like they would have back in Mystic Falls, Virginia.

Stefan picked up Caroline's head by her perpetually messy bun to stare at her playfully. She shot him a death glare and smacked his hand away. He laughed out loud so infectiously that she eventually joined in and sat up, resting her cheek on her hand, elbow propped up on the bar. "Oh, Caroline, how nice to see you. I thought you'd been abducted by the Barbie version of a swamp monster," he teased, tugging on one of her messy tendrils.

"Hey!" she shouted, smacking his fingers out of her disheveled curls. "It's not my fault my date was handsy, ok?"

Stefan rolled his eyes at her. "Well, what did you expect when you told the latest random to hit you up on Tinder that you were in a bar and had ten minutes?"

The unsatisfied actress narrowed her eyes at her director. "I expected an orgasm."

"Yeah, well, instead you got dirt on your best jeans and a really bad hair day," Stefan joked, wiping dirty snow off her knees from the alley behind the bar.

Caroline held up her hands defensively and snarked, "Hey, I needed a distraction from the Bible thumper, ok? I deserved a little relief after the afternoon I had." With a petulant glare at the door to the back, she mumbled, "I just didn't know he wouldn't make it through the opening act." Stefan started to laugh but quickly turned it into a cough when the promiscuous former cheerleader gave him the finger. "It's not funny, Stef! Just wait 'til you spend a little time with Klaus. You'll see why I can't stand him."

Stefan slowly shook his head in mock admonishment and rolled his eyes. "Care, you are so full of shit."

The blonde's jaw dropped, her porcelain face framed by messy curls. "Excuse me?! What does that mean?"

Looking at her with amusement dancing in his mahogany eyes, he sipped his soda again. "You know you're just pissed that now that you have an excuse to spend time with just Klaus, sans Henrik, you have no idea what to do except try to hook up with him," he laughed, flicking dirt off her jeans.

Caroline made a clicking sound with her tongue and narrowed her eyes at her friend. "I could so totally hook up with him... if I wanted to, that is... which I don't," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "But that's the only reason, ok? If I called him to meet me in a back alley, he'd come running just like the rest of them," she sassed confidently.

Stefan rolled his eyes at her as the bartender passed. Her empty glass was quickly replaced with a fresh soda, half of which she gratefully inhaled through her reusable straw. "I don't know, Carebear. The way I hear it, the only way to get on your knees for Niklaus Mikaelson is to join him in prayer."

Caroline let her palm fall heavily to the sticky surface of the bar. "Well, THAT'S never gonna happen," she said resolutely. "I just don't like him, ok?" Stefan sipped his drink and raised an eyebrow at her. Rolling her eyes and throwing up her hands, she conceded, "Ok, fine! Maybe it bothers me that he's obviously blind. I mean hell-o!" she shouted, gesturing at her perfect figure, breasts on display in a bright purple push-up bra beneath a stretchy black V-neck t-shirt. "What guy wouldn't want to tap this?" she snarked, briefly standing to slap herself loudly on the ass.

Stefan nearly spit out his bright red soda when half the men in the bar turned their heads. "I've never tapped that," he laughed, barely managing to compose himself at his friend's complete lack of candor.

Caroline's face deadpanned when she replied, "That's because you'd rather hook up with him than with me, sweetie."

"True," he acknowledged with a bow of his head, stylish hero hair held firmly in place with a ridiculous amount of male hair-care products. "But I'm pretty sure that's not all you're after, is it?"

"What?!" she squeaked. "What else would I want with Klaus fucking Mikaelson?" The blonde student threw her head back and groaned when Stefan's expression once again morphed to mockingly inquisitive. "What is that look for?"

Setting his glass down, Stefan pulled his phone out of his pocket to reply to a text. Looking up, he told his best friend, "That look is because you're full of shit, like I said." When she opened her mouth to protest, he held a finger over her cherry-glossed lips. "How many times in the last couple of years have you said what a good guy he is for taking care of his dying brother?"

"He isn't DYING!" Caroline corrected him angrily as he looked down, tapping out another text. "He's just sick, ok? Like, all the time, yeah, but not DYING," she repeated emphatically.

"Ok, not dying," he conceded with a placating hand gesture. "And all the times you talked about going to watch him play at church?" he asked, rerouting the conversation.

"Henrik needs rides on occasion!" she defended, her voice nearly a whine.

"And rides involve sitting with him in the front row for the entire service?" he sassed, eyebrow raised.

Caroline's mouth fell open dramatically. "He has a really good voice! I appreciate talent, ok?"

"Talent sent you over there on your last two birthdays?" Before she could respond he added with a dramatic head roll, "And Christmases?"

"My mom and Lily go away for holidays, ok? And besides, I saw you first on both of those birthdays," she reminded him, waving her pointy finger in the air.

"Something I'm guessing Nik knew when 'Henrik' drove to the store to buy your cakes AFTER we had dinner, right?" Stefan replied, making finger quotes. "I'm sure it was Henrik who picked out that Pandora bracelet with the music charms, too?"

"Henrik has really good taste!" Caroline argued. She looked down at her silver charm bracelet. Stefan was playing hardball. He was leaving her less and less room to debate, his patience for her denial wearing thin.

"For the last two and a half years, since we moved to Boston, Care, you've been a fixture in the Mikaelson mansion… just not the master bedroom," he pointed out to her annoyance, sending another text.

"Ok, fine!" she relented, fiddling with the heart-shaped charm Stefan added the last Valentine's day that they'd spent together watching trashy Hallmark movies and eating overpriced chocolate they'd bought for each other. "Maybe Nik's not such a bad guy... but Steffie, he's SO boring!" she moaned. Stefan quirked up an eyebrow at her choice of names but held his tongue. "He had the chance to reach into my panties and he didn't even consider it!" she screeched in offended indignation.

"Monster!" he gasped, flashing his eyes dramatically. "How dare any man see you as more than the contents of your G-string," he added sarcastically. "He must be stopped!" Wrapping his deep purple scarf around his neck, Stefan got up and tucked his phone in his back pocket before kissing Caroline on the cheek. "I've gotta run, babe. Call me later."

Before he could leave, the frazzled blonde grabbed him by the elbow and tugged him to her, eyes wide. "Wait! What am I supposed to do with this guy?" she asked, confusion advertised on her face as clearly as a billboard on the highway. "You have to help me! There's a reason I only hang out when Henrik is around," the actress muttered. "I don't know what to do with a guy except fuck him!" she whispered conspiratorially.

Looking at her with faux sympathy, Stefan sarcastically mocked, "Aww, does somebody need to get her Mary Magdalene karaoke on?" Without a word, Caroline smirked evilly as she playfully dug her nails into his arm, making him yelp. He swatted her away, laughing, and tapped her on the nose. "You'll just have to use your mouth for talking. There's a first time for everything," he teased her with a wink, chocolate eyes dancing with mirth.

Caroline's eyes widened and her jaw dropped in faux outrage as she reached into her purse. Stefan quickly called the bartender over and handed him a twenty before his friend could find her wallet. She pressed her lips together, clever comeback quickly forgotten. She hated when he did that. Stefan came from a wealthy family, but his older brother, Damon, had gambled away the family fortune before anyone knew he'd been to the bank. Her mother had been supporting his for over a year.

The Salvatore's financial situation was so dire that Stefan had nearly dropped out at the beginning of the fall semester. Refusing to stay without him, they were packing up their apartment to return to Mystic Falls when the school called to say the hold on his registration was placed in error as his tuition had been paid in full. He was sure there had to have been some mistake, but Caroline convinced him to just go with it. She'd paid a visit to the Mikaelsons the next day and found Klaus in his music room. Without looking up from his favorite guitar, he briskly informed her that Henrik wasn't feeling up for a visit and she should show herself right back out the way she came as he was very busy changing his strings and couldn't be bothered to speculate on why bookkeepers did the things they did.

"Get to know him, Care," Stefan tossed over his shoulder as he tucked his empty wallet into his back pocket. The young director deliberately walked ahead of her to the door, back facing her to prevent yet another argument about who should be paying for drinks. Finally turning to face her when they reached the overstuffed coat rack, he picked up where he left off. "Rumor has it, Nik's actually one of the good ones." He paused for a moment while he pulled on his coat. Smirking, he added with an emphatic nod, "And those rumors were started by you."

Exasperated, she rolled her eyes before returning his kiss, leaving a bright red lip print on his cheek. "Seriously?! I can't exactly get to know him if he won't give me a chance!"

Stefan laughed at her, pulling on his cap while she buttoned her navy-blue wool pea coat. "Maybe you need to give him a chance." Before she could speak, he held a finger over her mouth as he opened the door, the frozen January air stinging his well-cared for skin. "A chance that does not involve getting on your knees to pray... or to suck his dick," he added cheekily, eyebrows merrily raised as he dodged the daggers she was glaring at him. "Words, cheer captain, words. Talk to him. God knows you've been talking ABOUT him long enough," he added with an eyeroll.

"I have not!" she defended herself as she beeped her car open.

"Years, babe. Years," Stefan shot back before climbing behind the wheel on his SUV and blasting "Thank U, Next" by Ariana Grande. With a wink and a wave, he drove off to rehearse his own role as Angel, the dog-killing drag queen drumming on a ten-gallon plastic pickle tub.

Caroline rolled her eyes, annoyed, as she got behind the wheel of Klaus' old Range Rover. Henrik deemed it "cool-impaired' a year before when he insisted his big brother buy them a Carrera instead… three days after she'd cancelled a lesson because her transmission gave out. When Henrik suggested they give the offensive vehicle to his speech tutor, Klaus dismissively handed her the title and they both pretended the ailing teenager hadn't completely manipulated him into doing it. She'd often reflected that if Henrik could only get his immune system under control, he could easily pursue a career in global domination.

Caroline pressed the ignition button and her speakers immediately began blasting Pink's latest album. She vaguely wondered if Klaus was the kind of guy to walk a girl home in the dead of night... since as he clearly WASN'T the kind who'd be joining her inside. The conflicted actress waited until Stefan was thoroughly out of earshot before pulling up the music library. With a sigh, she put on the concert version of "Jesus Christ Superstar" and belted her sinner's heart out when she got to the Biblical prostitute's iconic ballad.

"Ha!" Henrik called out triumphantly as the last of his infusion dripped down his IV line. "I win again," he said with a satisfied smirk at his older brother's scowl.

"Bloody ridiculous," Klaus griped. "That nurse has it rigged," he huffed as he glared at the traitorous bag collecting his blood. The brothers shared a rare blood type, type AB negative. Last year, Klaus had been the bone marrow donor for Henrik to undergo hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, but there had been complications. He'd developed mucositis, a painful condition that causes injury of the mucosal lining of the mouth and throat. It wasn't life threatening, but it made eating and drinking difficult. Every week since, Henrik had to have intravenous infusions at his immunologist's office to keep his body hydrated enough to swallow. For the last six months, they'd been competing to see if Henrik could finish his infusion before Klaus could fill a blood bag. The nurse actually did have it rigged, of course. Who could resist a sick kid? It was a trick the teenager had been using to his advantage for years. "What do you want?" he asked with a bored expression as he checked an email on his phone. To no surprise, Caroline had rejected his latest payment for her tutoring services. Every week that the teenager bested him, he had to give in to one small request... at least "small" according to Henrik Mikaelson.

"I want you to tell me how it went with Caroline!" the wheelchair-bound boy replied excitedly. "Did you get to the kissing scenes yet?" he asked with exaggerated wiggles of his thinning brows, umber eyes sparkling with devilry.

Klaus answered tersely without looking up from his Galaxy, "We rehearsed 'Light My Candle.' It was fine. We sang. We danced. I left."

"Do you like the show?" the younger boy asked hopefully. The aspiring lawyer looked at him incredulously. "Just give it a chance, would you, Nik?" he pleaded. "For me?" he begged with his best sick-kid eyes.

"I am giving it a chance. I'm playing the lead, Henrik," Klaus pointed out, finally looking up from the screen. "Something I am doing entirely for your benefit. So, you can spare me that look. It may work on nurses and drama students, but it hasn't worked on me in a long time. Were it left up to me, I'd wait another semester and take the role of Father Flynn in 'Doubt,'" he commented drolly.

"You would," Henrik huffed as the nurse removed the catheter from his left antecubital. His brother shot him a glare, his retort dying on his tongue when the doctor walked in. "Hey, Dr. Fell!" he called as he rolled himself over to the attractive brunette physician. Meredith Fell had been seeing Henrik since he'd first been given the diagnosis and had grown very fond of the brothers.

"Hey there, kiddo," she replied easily, returning his hug. The two chatted amiably while the nurse removed Klaus' IV and cleared them to leave. "Nik, you got a sec?"

The sandy blonde caretaker felt his stomach drop at her tone. Whatever she had to say, it wasn't good. "Always," he said with forced British charm and a polite nod of his head as he followed her into her spacious office. As they walked down the hall, he could hear Henrik babbling away to all who would listen. He sat down heavily in the throne-style chair in from of Meredith's desk and ran his fingers through his messy locks. "How bad?" he asked grimly.

"The lymphocytosis isn't backing off. His bloodwork is still showing numerous atypical lymphocytes and elevated liver enzymes," she said bluntly. She and Klaus were veterans when it came to Henrik's condition. She'd stopped sugar-coating it at the younger man's request a long time ago.

"How elevated?" he asked, already exhausted by their conversation.

Meredith looked at the young man and sighed. "His ALT is at 583, ALP 413, AST 509, GGT 357 and his bilirubin's at 145."

"Fuck," he cursed uncharacteristically, a weight settling in his chest. Black, cold and unyielding. "The hepatitis is back. Again. What do we do?" he asked tiredly. "He's already on ombitasvir, paritaprevir and ritonavir. How many medications with the suffix 'vir' have you people come up with?"

"That's probably why his levels aren't worse," she said matter of factly, ignoring his snarky commentary. "Those are all treating Hepatitis C. This is more like type B."

"Twice blessed," he said with a small shake of his head. He looked at her with a blank expression and shrugged. "What else is there, doc? Can he survive a full liver transplant?"

"I'm not advising that at this time," the smart doctor replied quickly. "But, in answer to your question: yes, you would be a suitable donor. Right now, I'd like to start him on ganciclovir and see how it goes."

"And you found another 'vir.' Lovely," he said, exasperated, as he ran his hands down his stubbled face, his normally handsome features twisted in a macabre mask. "Does he have to be admitted?"

Meredith shook her head and reached across the desk to pat Klaus on the arm. "No, you can take him home," she said reassuringly. He glared at her freshly manicured nails sternly enough that she recoiled. However, her face still held the same calm sympathy. "It needs to be administered intravenously every twelve hours for at least three weeks. It's considered a hazardous medication. If you run into any trouble, you know the number for the on-call nursing service, but you and Caroline are both current on your hazmat certifications. So, I'm comfortable releasing him to your care. Where is your girlfriend these days? She used to come every week," she observed inquisitively.

"She's not my girlfriend. She's my employee," he brusquely clarified, getting up from the chair and taking the prescription she handed him. "And she has class at this time," he added with a dismissive hand gesture as he tucked the paper into his wallet and turned his back on her somewhat befuddled expression. Why did so many people assume he and that beautiful sinner were a couple? Wait, what? Beautiful? The stress was getting to him.

"Sorry. I didn't mean to assume," Meredith corrected herself apologetically. "It's a shame she can't come to his infusions, but I'm sure it's for a good cause. I saw her in 'Les Miserables' last summer. She was an amazing Fantine. She got a standing ovation for 'I Dreamed a Dream.'"

"I'm aware," he said with an eye roll. "Henrik dragged me four times. She does have a fondness for a certain type of character."

"What do you mean?" the immunologist asked conversationally as they walked down the hall.

"She's playing this character Mimi Marquez," he began.

"Ohmigod she's doing 'Rent?!'" she interrupted excitedly.

Ignoring her enthusiasm, Klaus took a deep breath and put on the serene expression he tried to keep in place as often as possible around his ailing brother when he found Henrik balancing in his wheelchair at a 45-degree angle, obviously showing off for the secretary's young niece. "THEY'RE doing 'Rent!'" Henrik exclaimed, spinning to face them. He hurriedly wheeled up to Meredith and chirped, "Nik's in the show, too! It's for his performing arts credit, so he can finally graduate!"

A chuckle escaped the older woman's throat. "I bet you're playing Roger, right?" she asked with a raised brow as she handed the secretary a billing statement.

"Of course!" Henrik bubbled.

"What makes you say that?" Klaus asked simultaneously as he pulled out his wallet and handed over his black AmEx.

Meredith laughed out loud at the annoyed, yet somehow adorably clueless, expression marring the young man's good looks. "Please, Nik. You ARE Roger."

Henrik sniggered behind his brother's back, earning him a glare. "I've no idea what you mean, Dr. Fell," he said formally as he signed the digital signature pad before tucking his card and wallet back in his jeans. "I've nothing in common with any of the sinners in that Godforsaken drivel."

Meredith scoffed and shared a knowing look with her patient. "Have you even read the script?"

"Repeatedly," he snapped with a resigned sigh. He redirected the conversation back to medicine while Henrik shamelessly flirted with the young blonde laughing at his wheelchair tricks. Klaus knew how long his little brother had been practicing his moves in front of YouTube to impress his biggest fan. Klaus couldn't help but smile at his antics. Even with everything life had handed the young boy, Henrik was perpetually surrounded by an aura of tranquil joie de vivre that his favorite brother could only dream about. It was something he'd often mused Caroline possessed as well… before forcing himself to stop said musings. Sinful woman with her pouty cherry colored lips and blasphemous eyes that sparkled like sapphires… eyes that he definitely never thought about capturing on canvas. Pushing his traitorous thoughts aside, he ruffled Henrik's lack of hair and followed him out to the car. The latter would never admit it, but Klaus could tell by the slight drooping of his eyes that his little brother was exhausted. He'd get him home and settled before going out to fetch his latest injections. Checking his watch, he groaned as he realized he'd have to pick it up on the way to rehearse with his ludicrous co-star. He reluctantly turned over the engine and prepared to face the music, immediately rolling his eyes when Roger's solo ballad came on with a mischievous flick of his little brother's thumb.

By 5:00pm, Caroline had spent way more time thinking about stupid Klaus Mikaelson than she would ever admit without breaking her self-imposed ban on hard liquor… something she might have to do if this ruminating kept up. She and Stefan both hated being drunk. There was something about feeling that out of control that turned their stomachs long before the booze could do it for them. They'd gotten completely smashed one time in high school and it had not ended well for them. Vomit had been involved. Vomit that threatened the efficacy of even the strongest hair gel. Such a thing could not be repeated. The risk was far too great.

She'd thought about using her favorite hook-up app to find a quickie after her last class, but had thought better of it when she realized the last thing she needed was to rehearse with her pious co-star reeking of sweaty car sex. For a woman who didn't give a damn what anybody thought, she found it disturbing how much she'd taken his opinion into consideration. The entire thing had gotten very confusing in a short period of time… or perhaps it was more accurate to say that the confusion had finally been brought to her attention. Maybe Stefan was right, and she had been conflicted all along. She didn't know anymore. What she hoped was that being on stage would somehow help her find some answers.

The ambivalent blonde wasn't the only one feeling a bit lost by their latest venture. Klaus hadn't made it to the pharmacy. He used his faith to sustain him, but there were days his prayers were more like pleas to any Gods who might be listening. He refused to get emotional in the house where Henrik might see the face of his doubt, but sometimes that meant he had to avoid the house… or anywhere else there may be people there to bear witness to his hidden desperation. Every day he prayed for answers, and everyday those answers did not come. There were days it all just weighed a little too much, and he had to escape. For reasons he didn't want to think about too closely, he'd ended up sitting on the edge of the stage quietly strumming his solo.

Caroline heard the faint sound of an acoustic guitar in the distance when she entered the auditorium from the stage door. She immediately recognized the tune, of course, but hearing it from Klaus had her stunned into silence. She took a few tentative steps closer and felt her heart clench when she heard how broken her frenemie sounded as he whispered the lines, "Find one song, one last refrain, glory." Strum. Sniffle. Step. Silence. Start.

"From the pretty boy front man who wasted opportunity. One song, he had the world at his feet, glory." If he was honest with himself, he knew that his story mirrored Roger at least to some extent. Of course, Klaus hadn't opened himself up to viral infection by committing crimes against God such as intravenous drug use and unprotected premarital sex, nor was he the sick one in his story. "Find one song, a song about love, glory, from the soul of a young man," he sang around a raggedy breath, a single tear falling down his cheek, the lone drop disappearing in his ever-present stubble.

Caroline inched closer when she heard the strings stall. She heard him take in deep, heaving gulps of air as he let himself momentarily give in to his constant battle to maintain emotional control. To her surprise, he picked up the melody again, playing the song twice over in its entirety before picking up after the first chorus. Apparently, she wasn't the only one who used music to distract herself. He got through a few bars, but when he got to the line, "Find the one song before the virus takes hold," he lost it again. She heard the guitar clatter to the stage, his sobs barely stifled behind what she guessed was the sleeve of his leather jacket. She ventured another step closer and peered around the dark red velvet curtain.

Seeing him fall apart made something deep inside of her chest ache. She wanted to both run to his side and run out the door. Somehow the frigid frost of winter felt less icy than watching this. It was easy to rage against his piety when all she ever had to see was the arrogant bastard who couldn't be bothered with her flirty winks and witty banter. It was impossible to deny his genuine humanity when she saw him lay bare on the stage without even his guitar as a shield. The blonde felt paralyzed as she debated whether she should go to him or sneak out the back.

Before she could decide, it seemed that Klaus himself had had enough tears for one day. He stood up and dragged his hands down his face. He inhaled deeply through his nostrils, clearing them and his throat loudly as he picked up his guitar. When he played, the soft melody was gone, replaced by the harsh dichotomy of the final verse. His voice cracked as he belted out, "One song to redeem this empty life!" He furiously strummed the strings, their sound echoing around the empty auditorium and resonating in Caroline's chest. "Time flies and then no need to endure anymore!" he cried, his breath catching as he fought to maintain control of himself. "Time dies!" he finished, his voice cutting off the last note when he caught a glimpse of blonde out of the corner of his cobalt eye. "Caroline?!" he shouted incredulously, fury filling him when he realized he'd been caught breaking down.

"I-I-I," she stuttered as he stormed over to her, his already puffy face reddening to a deep maroon as he threw his guitar over his shoulder, the leather strap pulling tight against his chest.

"How long have you been peeping, hmm?" he demanded in a harsh growl. She gaped at him, wide-eyed and at a total loss for words. He swallowed down the emotions threatening to choke him, his eyes closing tightly while his body shook from the effort. Neither of them made a sound or moved a muscle for several long, agonizing moments. Finally, Klaus snapped his eyes opened, the darkness behind them startling her. "Well, I hope you enjoyed the bloody show," he spat venomously, turning on the heel of his leather boots and stomped off.

"Klaus, wait!" she called, chasing after him. He spun around so fast that she narrowly avoided colliding with him. When she looked in his eyes, she saw a maelstrom of emotions erupting behind their stormy depths: anger, pain, fear, betrayal, agony. It hurt her to see him like this, so damaged, and she so powerless to do anything about it. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude-"

"Yes, well, you did. Goodnight," he barked, turning his back on her again.

"You don't have to-"

"Good NIGHT, Caroline!" he shouted over his shoulder before slamming the door behind him, leaving her more lost than ever as he disappeared into the snow.


	3. Get the Moonlight Out of Your Hair

A/N UPDATED FOR KCFANFIC WEEK ON TUMBLR! Follow me at eliliyah.

Thank you to those of you who gave this story a chance, and especially to those of you who left me a review. It really makes my day when I get that notification email. You guys are just the best. On with the show!

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Chapter Three – Get the Moonlight Out of Your Hair

Caroline opened her door promptly at 3:30pm as Klaus walked in right on time, guitar in hand. Although, it may have been more appropriate to say he stormed in, stomping his boots all the way to her tiny living room. His expression was so icy that she felt an actual chill race down her spine that set her instantly on edge. She had a sudden urge to venture out in the snow to warm up a bit, but she followed him inside instead. Without a word, or even a glance in her direction, he plugged in a small amp to the wall and connected his guitar and peddle.

"Who do you think you are barging in on me and my guitar?" he began in his gravelly rockstar voice. Every time she felt an ache between her legs brought on by that sound, she cursed Jesus for being the only one he ever sang about... but this was not the lullaby she'd fantasized about. If this song was God's idea of a joke, He should go tell it on a mountain. Couldn't Klaus have picked something about Mary Magdalene? Hell, even a Christmas carol was better than the vitriol spewing from his throat. If he sang her, 'O Holy Night,' she'd be happy to fall on her knees...

"Little girl, hey, the door is that way!" he barked, cocking his head emphatically at the only exit to her tiny apartment. "You better go; you know the fire's out anyway. Take your powder; take your candle; your sweet whisper I just can't handle." She felt her annoyance growing with every note. Yes, she had been snooping... but he was in the middle of the stage! HER stage! What did he expect? "Well take your hair in the moonlight, your blue eyes. Goodbye, goodnight!"

"It's brown eyes, Klaus," she said with a huff, defensively crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at him. Clearly, he was still pissed that she'd caught him while acting human. Or was this version of him the act? She didn't know anymore. What she did know was that the ugly look he was sending her way had her feeling less than charitable.

"I should tell you," he continued as if he hadn't heard her. "I should tell you. I should... no! Another time, another place, our temperature would climb. There'd be a long embrace. We'd do another dance. It'd be another play." He aggressively strummed the strings so hard she took a step back in case he snapped one. "Looking for romance? Come back another day. Another day!" By the time he finished screaming his last line, he was nose to nose with her and they were both steaming.

"Your line, sweetheart," he snarled. "What's the matter?" he asked when she didn't even blink, replaying her cue. "Don't care to sing me a song extoling the virtues of blasphemy? Or are we pretending your lifestyle is just method acting?"

The blonde actress took a deep breath to steady herself as she did her best not to snap at him. "The heart may freeze, or it can burn," she sang, forcing herself into character. If there was one thing she knew how to do, it was to set Caroline aside and become someone else entirely. "The pain will ease if I can learn there is no future: there is no past. I live this moment as my last." She felt herself fall into Mimi Marquez as she approached her Roger. "There's only us. There's only this. Forget regret or life is yours to miss. No other road; no other way; no day but today."

"Excuse me if I'm off track, but if you're so wise, then tell me: why do you need smack?" he sang just as aggressively, pulling her back to the part where she realized he was definitely NOT in character. "Take your needle. Take your fancy prayer. Don't forget, get the moonlight out of your hair. Long ago you might've lit up my heart, but the fire's dead, ain't never ever gonna start!"

"There's only now," she sang, doing her best to control the sharp edge creeping into her soprano. Emotions weren't her strongest suit and he was starting to royally piss her off. "There's only here. Give in to love, or live in fear. No other path; no other way; no day but today." She paused and spoke in her regular voice, "This is the part where everyone else comes in, but we won't get with the rest of the crew for another month or so." He groaned thinking about spending another month with her, almost missing his own cue. "My only goal is just to be," she sang, spreading her arms out like wings as her soprano lilt echoed around the small room.

"She doesn't see," he harmonized miserably, turning away from her. "Just let me be..."

"There's only now," she continued, inwardly hoping he'd come around. Maybe let the words sink in. She knew Henrik had been drilling him day and night. Hopefully eventually something would stick and he'd snap out of his mood. "There's only here. Give in to love, or live in fear..."

"Little girl, hey, the door is that way!" he sang, angrily strumming along.

"You know what?" she snapped, spinning around to unplug his guitar before marching right in front of him. "I've had just about enough of your bullshit judgment. It's not MY fault that I walked in when you were, God forbid, having feelings like a normal person! You were in the middle of MY auditorium singing on MY stage! What did you expect me to do?"

"Gee, I don't know, perhaps announced your arrival?" he shot back.

"You were having a moment!" she retorted, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "I didn't want to interrupt!"

"Didn't want to miss the show, more like. Tell me, did you like what you saw? Did it make me more sympathetic? Hmm?" he demanded emphatically. "Do you dislike me less now that you've seen me as broken as your little characters?"

"God! I never said I DISlike you, Klaus!" she shouted, waving her arms around dramatically.

"Well, you're quite an actress then," he said, averting his eyes to sling his guitar over his shoulder, the strap taut against the hard planes of his chest.

"You're a pain in the ass, yeah," she added almost to herself as she ignored his latest barb. Turning her focus back to him, she sighed and told him honestly, "But I don't think you're BROKEN. What happened yesterday that put you in such a mood? Cuz it sure as hell wasn't me." He turned his head away as he thought about Henrik's face when he'd given him his new medication the night before. How it had burned going into his arm. How he'd lied and said it was fine. Seeing the way the caregiver's face softened, Caroline took a step forward and lay a gentle hand on his bicep. The balding teenager hadn't called her last night before bed like he usually did, so she already knew something was going on. It wasn't like Klaus to keep her in the dark about the young boy's treatment. Whatever it was, it was bad. "What happened at Henrik's appointment yesterday? You can talk to me about this stuff, you know. You're not as alone as you think. I care about him, too."

He pulled his arm away from her as though he'd been burned and rounded on her. "You say you don't need my judgment. Well, I don't need your pity!"

"You seriously need to lighten up, ok?" she said, defaulting to the role she knew best when she reached the end of her emotional rope. She audibly stretched, letting her shirt ride up to reveal a strip of her well-toned abdomen. If anyone knew how to get a man out of a mood, it was Caroline Forbes. "Let somebody ruffle those perfect feathers," she teased, stepping forward to mess up his hair at an angle that flashed her breasts at him from beneath her V-cut wraparound lavender blouse. "Maybe today isn't the day for that song. How about we work on 'Out Tonight?'" she asked provocatively, rolling her belly in a stripper move.

"That's a solo, Caroline," he commented dryly, crossing him arms defensively over his chest as he eyed her warily. He was mildly concerned she might pounce on him. He'd seen her get like this before, but never with him personally. It was like she had an internal switch she flipped every time things got too emotional. Maybe he was a tad bit repressed, but she was over-the-top with her flagrant sexuality, flaunting it like a shield every time someone rubbed her the wrong way.

The almost-graduate distinctly remembered a time during one of Henrik's many hospital stays that she'd gotten into it with a male nurse. They'd been arguing in the hallway over pain management one minute and gone the next. The next thing Klaus knew, the nurse came in carrying a syringe of morphine with Caroline on his heels reapplying her lipstick. He'd sent up a silent prayer of thanks that his little brother had been too busy moaning in agony to notice the small tear in the knee of her favorite jeans. Klaus hadn't said a word about her methods since he'd been grateful for the outcome, but the next day a package with several new pairs had shown up at her door. They'd never discussed it, but he'd given her a small smile when Henrik complimented her outfit when she showed up to drive them home the next morning.

"Yeah, I know," she conceded in a sultry whisper, skulking towards him, "but Roger is there to watch." He stepped back and swung his guitar back in front of him to put something between himself and the look she was giving him, like she was imagining him naked. It made him uncomfortable in a way he didn't want to think about too carefully. Didn't want to think about the way his jeans suddenly felt too tight and the air in her apartment too hot. Didn't want to think about what Jesus would have to say about it... Jesus who was friends with a hooker... No, definitely not something to dwell on. "Do you want to watch me dance, Klausy?" she asked, now practically nose to nose with him, her eyes scanning his ever-present stubble.

"Stop it, Caroline. Please just stop," he said, backing away from her predatory gaze.

"Stop what?" she asked with a confused expression as she subconsciously ran her hands provocatively up and down her sides.

"Stop..." he trailed off, searching for the right words. He took another step back and felt his head hit the wall. She absentmindedly fiddled with the tie on her shirt, the fabric falling to reveal more of her creamy white breasts. "Stop acting like... this," he finished, nodding his head at the top inch of her black lacy bra she'd purposefully let peek out. He pulled off his guitar and set it on the stand by his feet. He sighed and looked her up and down for a long moment before taking off his leather jacket. He draped it over her shoulders and held it closed at the collar. "You don't have to act like your body is all you have to offer."

"Pfft," she scoffed. "Like you stand a chance."

Klaus rolled his eyes and shook his head tiredly. "Do spare me the innocent routine. You're not THAT good an actress. We both know that you were practically giving me a lap dance just now."

"What?" she snapped in surprise, her lack of insight astounding him. "We're standing up! You WISH I'd give you a lap dance. This is just me being me. Just because you're all uptight and don't ever want to get it on doesn't mean the rest of us have to act like a bunch of prudes."

"I'm not having this conversation again," he said firmly, holding up his palm to keep her at bay.

"No? Well, how about we change the topic and you tell me what you're hiding about Henrik," she challenged, slipping her arms in the sleeves of his jacket before crossing them over her chest.

The dirty blond singer opened and closed his mouth a few times before turning away, a frown playing about his lips. Why WAS he so reluctant to tell her? He'd had every intention of filling her in before she'd caught him singing "Glory." He'd called her an employee to Dr. Fell, but she really hadn't been in a long time. In fact, Caroline was the closest thing he had to a friend, and while he'd always kept his distance, he'd never hidden anything from her before, least of all anything about his little brother's condition.

He blew out a sigh and ran his calloused fingers through his short and messy curls. "Henrik has a second type of Hepatitis," he said quietly, barely meeting her sapphire gaze. He cast his eyes to the side, but not before he saw hers widen, concern evident as she fell back into herself. "Dr. Fell started him on ganciclovir last night and he didn't take it well."

"What?" It had been a simple question, but something tugged at his heart when he heard the tightness in her throat. She sounded so small, scared even. "That has a lot of side effects... How is he?"

"He's not well, love," he replied, swallowing down a lump in his throat as sorrow bubbled up in his chest.

"But he'll be ok, right? I mean, Dr. Fell isn't worried, right?" she asked quickly. Klaus looked at her and she felt it deep inside of her. His pain. Grief. Anger. Fear. No, he wasn't alone. She felt it, too. As much as they clashed, they were in this together. Apart from Stefan, Henrik was the closest thing she had to family, and Klaus was part of the deal. "Nik, tell me he's going to be ok," she pleaded, worrying her lower lip between her perfect teeth.

"Sweetheart, I," he began but had to pause to collect his thoughts, audibly exhaling through his nostrils. "I pray for him day and night," he said firmly, as though that was supposed to placate her.

"Yeah, ok, Jesus is your BFF, whatever," she said dismissively. "There's prayer and then there's science. There has to be something more-"

"The doctors are doing all that they can," he said, cutting her off. "He's sick, Caroline, and he's been sick for a long time."

"I know," she whispered, swallowing hard as she felt her eyes burn. "I just... He deserves so much better. He's just a kid, you know? There has to be something else we can try. Some experimental cure or something. If not here, then maybe in Europe or Japan or... somewhere that isn't Boston. It's not the center of the universe."

"No, that's New York," he said, earning him a small smile when she recognized Angel's line from the show. "He has the best doctors money can buy. You know that as well as I. There's medicine and then there's prayer. I know you don't believe in Him, but God picks up where science ends. We just have to keep the faith and trust that He will provide."

"It's not that I don't believe," she countered, sinking down onto her plush black sofa and running her fingers through her silky blonde curls as she pulled her hair into a messy bun. "I mean, I was raised in Virginia, which is like Bible central. It's just that I don't know. I like things I can see. Something I can hold onto, you know?"

"I know the things you like to hold onto, love," he teased, a small smirk carving dimples beneath his stubble. She narrowed her eyes at him, but something about the way he was looking at her made her smile back at him. She sighed and patted the spot next to her on the couch. "We definitely don't worship at the same temple, but I suppose it's not fair of me to judge what brings you comfort." He plopped down next to her, his hands falling between his knees. "I'm sorry for yesterday. I shouldn't have screamed at you the way I did. You caught me in a mood."

Caroline tucked one leg beneath her and twisted her body to face him. "You have my forgiveness," she said seriously before adding with a small smile, "but you're always in a mood."

"Well, I'm hardly perfect," he conceded. His phone sang a bar from 'Seasons of Love' in his jacket pocket, starting the young blonde as she was still wearing it. He reached for it but stilled his hand when he realized his fingers were an inch from her breasts. She raised a challenging eyebrow at him, silently daring him to take it from the inside pocket. "May I please have my phone?" he asked, fighting back a blush when he accidentally on purpose looked down her shirt.

She tilted her head side to side as though she were considering her options. "Hmm..." she hummed playfully. Smiling at his bashful expression, she held it out for him. "Ok, but only because I know that's Henrik's ringtone."

"I didn't program it," he explained quickly, making her laugh at the gravity of his denial. "Oh," he said, sounding pleasantly surprised. "He's feeling up to eating. I should get home." She hopped up from the couch to follow him to the door, handing him his guitar when he strode right past it. She pulled off his jacket so he could throw it on with his hat and scarf. "Would you like to come for dinner?" he asked suddenly, startling her.

Caroline again tilted her head side to side, pretending to think about it just long enough to annoy him. "I guess I can eat..." she answered slowly. "Do I get to ride in your Porsche?" she asked hopefully, eyes barely containing her excitement. She loved that car, something Henrik had known full well when he insisted Klaus buy it for them.

"Alright," he agreed, frowning slightly as they walked out into the snow. "Just don't try getting me in the back seat, alright?" he added cautiously.

"Seriously?" she chuckled, opening the door and climbing in as the engine roared to life. "No backseat, I promise," she agreed lightly, drawing a cross over her heart with her pointer finger. "I guess if you can apologize for being judgy, I should apologize for being slutty. I'm sorry for flirting with you, ok?"

"Apology accepted, but I never said you were slutty," he corrected her.

"Why not? Everybody else does," she shrugged lightly, insecurity buried beneath her bravado.

"Well, they shouldn't. I'm not blind, love," he replied, casting his eyes to her when they reached the stoplight outside her red brick apartment building. "I'm well aware that you're very beautiful. That just isn't something I focus on very much."

"Thanks... I guess..." she said, unsure if that had been a compliment or not. "I know I make you uncomfortable sometimes, but truthfully I don't mean to." He looked over at her skeptically. "Ok, fine, sometimes I do, whatever," she laughed. "But not every time. I guess I don't always know how I should act around you. You're not like other guys. I mean, what guy doesn't want to have sex?" Klaus clearly didn't because he turned his eyes back to the snowy roads. "Not that there's anything wrong with that!" she added quickly. "I mean, it's not common in our generation, but that's cool if that's your thing. I'm not, like, trying to be a creeper or anything. It's just that this is who I am."

"I know it is, Caroline," he said quietly. "There's nothing wrong with how you are, either." She didn't know what to say to that, so she just nodded. They rode in awkward silence for a few minutes before Klaus spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's not that I don't want to."

"Don't want to what?" the blonde asked, looking up from her Android. When a slight blush stained Klaus' pale face, she realized what he meant and smiled awkwardly. "Right, yeah, sex," she acknowledged, nodding her head, blonde tendrils that had escaped from her messy bun bouncing up and down. "Well, since you brought it up…" she began, pausing to see if he'd shut down her prying. When he didn't stop her, she continued digging, curious to know more about this man she'd known for years. "If you want to, or if you don't NOT want to, I guess," she said, struggling to choose the right words. "Why haven't you… you know… you know?"

Klaus took a moment to answer, also trying to figure out the best phrasing. "Lack of opportunity, I suppose," he confessed as he turned onto the highway. Caroline lived in the city. He and Henrik lived on the outskirts of Boston in an upscale gated community.

The actress looked taken aback. "Seriously?" He cast her a sideways glance and shrugged. "Huh." Well, that wasn't the answer she had been expecting. Her eyes roamed up and down his muscular figure in a way that she hoped was subtle. She realized her attempt to covertly ogle her costar had failed when she looked up from his chest to find him smirking at her. Knowing she'd been caught, she let out a nervous chuckle and smiled at him. "Ok, fine, I was checking you out. You caught me," she laughed, rolling her topaz eyes in amusement. "What can I say?" she asked, holding her arms up and shrugging. "I'm not blind, either. You're not ugly, I guess." He raised an eyebrow at her skeptically. "Well, I mean, I haven't seen you naked or anything, so I can't really say for sure, but I bet if I did see you naked, you wouldn't be ugly," she rambled, nodding slightly as she wondered what was under his light grey Henley. After another minute of shameless ogling, she noticed that at some point he had started looking at her body, too. Their blue eyes met briefly before he turned his head back to the interstate, a small smile on his face revealing his soft dimples. Was he… nervous? Around her? That was new.

"So…" she said slowly, drawing out the vowel sound long enough to give him time to interrupt. "If you did… would you?" she asked, avoiding eye contact.

Klaus turned to her, a quizzical expression on his handsome face. "If I did, would I… what?" he asked, his tone curious. He was so clueless sometimes that she found it adorable.

It was Caroline's turn to blush, in spite of her vast experience. Something about her Roger made her nervous. She didn't know why, but suddenly she wanted to keep him nervous, too. Seeing him like this was oddly thrilling. "If you were with a girl," she began, but her eyebrows popped up when a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Is it girls?" she asked before adding quickly, "I mean, do you like girls? Henrik never said… but it's ok if you-"

"Oh! Yes!" Klaus spat out in his haste to clear up that horrible misconception. "I mean no," he continued. "I mean, yes," he sputtered, causing the blonde to squint her eyes at him in confusion. "Yes, it is girls. No, I'm not gay. I'm straight. For girls. With girls. Er,-" he stuttered, his flustered thoughts jumbling together as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

Caroline gently put a hand on his arm. "Got it," she assured him, nodding. "Not gay," she confirmed, shaking her head side to side. He blew out a sigh of relief. When he caught her eye, they both laughed lightheartedly. "Ok," she said as she tried to compose herself. "If you were with a girl and you had the… opportunity…" she continued, slowly drawing out the word he had chosen. "Would you?" she asked, raising a blonde eyebrow.

"Would I have sex, you mean?" Klaus asked, surprised that she had actually asked the question out loud, even though he had been anticipating it. "Well…" He paused, his face advertising that he was considering his response carefully. "I'd like to maintain that I have no interest and think solely about caring for my brother, but…" He stared ahead at his fingers as they gripped the steering wheel of his Carrera. "It's a sin to tell a lie…" He paused again, giving Caroline a chance to interrupt and silently praying that she would. "So, I must admit that I'm genuinely not sure," he answered honestly, shrugging. "As I said, it's not that I'm not interested. I'm just having a difficult time imagining a scenario in which I would find myself… presented with such an… opportunity," he shared quietly. Casting her a sideways glance, he added, "I'm not exactly a Tony winner, sweetheart."

Caroline felt another pang of guilt when she remembered her unnecessary dig. "I shouldn't have said that. That wasn't nice. I'm sorry, Niklaus," she said quietly, staring down at her own hands as they lay folded on top of her light blue jeans, mittens covering her manicured fingers.

Klaus offered her a small smile and her eyes caught on his stubble. Why had she never noticed how beautifully handsome he was before? "It's alright. You don't have to apologize," he said, leaning out the window to input his gate code. "No need," he added dismissively, as though this was just how life went for him: one insult to add to injury. Perhaps that was life, for him. It made her sad to think about it. He didn't deserve this life, either.

"Well, I'm still sorry," she whispered, voice full of remorse. He gave her a small smile and nodded. "So…" she repeated. He looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "Does this mean you're NOT, like, a God-loving anti-sex kind of guy?"

Klaus smiled his same sweet dimpled smile. "No, Caroline," he responded, looking into her crystal blue eyes as the gate finished opening. "I'm not anti-sex." The blonde woman cocked her head to the side, considering his words. "Although the God-loving part is quite real," he added sincerely. "But I don't believe any type of consensual activity is a sin. The Bible teaches us that our bodies are temples, a quote I believe you know quite well," he teased affectionately. "To my admittedly very large family, that means we should enjoy them as we see fit. Like I said," he repeated, again averting his eyes and shrugging. "I'm anti-opportunity."

Caroline turned to face him, pulling her legs up on the seat. She propped her elbow up and rested her head in her palm, her expression soft as she looked at the man behind the wheel. Had he always been this handsome? "I don't get it."

"Don't get what?" he asked as he clicked the button to open his garage, surprised at the way she was looking at him. She raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, why I haven't had an opportunity," he said quietly. "There's Henrik, of course," he deflected, shrugging. Meeting her eyes, he added with a sly smirk, "Well, I suspect my overt religiosity is also a bit of a deterrent; particularly my views on premarital relations."

The blonde actress smacked him on the shoulder playfully, inching slightly closer to him. "Ah, but we just established that's a load of crap."

Klaus turned to face her after putting the Porsche in park and clicking the button to close the electronic door behind them. "Yes, but you're the only one who knows that, sweetheart," he replied. Had her eyes always been that shade of blue? She was beautiful, but how much could he really tell her? She would be gone as soon as Henrik passed… which he suspected wouldn't be much longer at the rate these infections were going, not that he was going to tell her that. He sighed and took a leap of faith. "I confess it does get a bit lonely, not having anybody."

"It's not any less lonely when you have everybody," she said quietly, looking away.

Klaus looked over at her and in that moment, he knew what neither were ready to admit: Henrik WAS who they had. He was what they shared… for now. "I suppose at some point it just became easier to make myself unavailable than to walk around expecting something I wasn't going to get," he said softly, also moving closer to her, the gear shift awkwardly separating them. "I'm one of those people who are just meant to be alone," he finished with a sigh.

Caroline was acutely aware that they were only a few inches apart and his hand had fallen lightly on her jean clad knee. "That's the part I don't get," she said shaking her head side to side a few times very slowly. His eyebrows pinched together in silent curiosity. "Why you would ever think that."

'Seasons of Love' again emitted from his Galaxy, startling both of them. "Well, I suppose I'm not entirely alone," he said with a smile as he read a thoroughly obnoxious text from his favorite brother. "Henrik has just threatened me with bodily harm if I don't feed him soon. He knows we're here."

"What?" she asked, taking his phone from him and laughing at the message. "He's such a little hacker. I bet he has my phone bugged or something. If we're not careful, that kid is going to take over the world."

Klaus got out and walked around the car to open her door, holding out his hand. "Frankly, I hope he does. He'd be quite an improvement over the Führer Cheeto administration."

"Oh my God, did Klaus Mikaelson just tell a joke?" she gasped, taking his hand.

"I have my moments," he smirked, subconsciously intertwining their fingers as they walked through the back door to his mansion.

She tugged him to face her just as his free hand settled on the door to the living room. "It's not just Henrik, you know?" she said somewhat awkwardly.

Before he could formulate a response, the ailing 15-year-old bellowed from the next room. "NIK! I know you're at the door! I can smell your Bulgari! He spent like a hundred bucks on that cologne to impress you, Care!"

Klaus' ears burned as he glared daggers at the closed door. "He used my credit card to order it on Amazon and assaulted me with it in the garage."

Ignoring Henrik's commentary, she playfully smiled at him and squeezed his hand, swinging their intertwined fingers between them. "You have me, too."

He looked down at their gloved hands and idly wondered what it would feel like if they were skin-to-skin. Returning her squeeze, he flashed her his dimples and replied, "I have you, too."

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A/N Well, that chapter did not go as planned… but I hope you liked it anyway! Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought. :)


	4. Your Ways Are So Seductive

A/N Thank you to everyone following this story. It's a little out there, I know, but we're about to seem some of the angry and face-breaking Klaus we know and love. If you like it, please leave me a review!

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Chapter Four – Your Ways Are So Seductive

Stefan Salvatore did his best to hold his tongue as he watched his stars practice their choreography for "Happy New Year B." It had been well over a month since Henrik had convinced Klaus to play Roger, and Caroline, in turn, had convinced Stefan to cast him in the show. Everyone had griped and groaned about it at first, but the older man had surprised all of them. He could sing, play guitar and brood all at the same time... and that was before he'd ever read the script. Caroline's acceptance of Klaus' new role in her life was less of a shock, but infinitely more satisfying for the director. They'd been dancing around each other for years and their chemistry on the stage was electrifying. Stefan had them all working on the blocking for this one scene over and over just to watch Klaus grow more and more annoyed at the way Caroline moved with Marcel, a senior that had been cast as Benjamin Coffin III, aka Benny, the show's antihero. Maureen Johnson was being portrayed by Katerina Petrova, a well-known drama queen and trouble maker extraordinaire. She and her on-stage lover, Bonnie Bennett as Joanne Jefferson, weren't helping matters. Stefan would have intervened if the whole thing hadn't been so damn entertaining.

Katerina was every bit the personification of Maureen. Loud. Obnoxious. Dramatic. She was all but physically shoving Caroline closer and closer to Marcel with every verse. She moved behind him and put her hands on his shoulders to push him forward as she sang, "The benevolent god ushers the poor artists back to their flat. Were you planning on taking down the barbed wire from the lot too?"

"Anything but that," Klaus chimed in, eyes narrowing at the handsome black actor. In the beginning, rehearsals had been awkward. Eventually, Caroline had confided in her newfound friend that she had, on more than one occasion, snuck off with Marcel to the catwalk to do anything but practice their lines. Ever since then, every time they rehearsed this song, the caretaker's face darkened. What was even more hysterical to the gay man was that the blonde actress seemed completely oblivious to Klaus' changing moods.

Marcel stepped away from Katerina, shooting her a glare. To his great annoyance, Caroline hadn't felt like "rehearsing" in private since the cast list had been posted. As a result, he was less than enthused about playing her ex. "Clearing the lot was a safety concern. We break ground this month, but you can return," he sang with faux-humility that made Klaus inwardly huff at his arrogance.

Katerina again encouraged Marcel to step closer to the blonde, putting distance between her and the Christian singer who wasn't really all that religious. He'd opened up more and more to Caroline since he'd confessed his real reasoning behind his apparently overt beliefs about premarital sex... but no one else knew he was completely full of it, least of all the sexy brunette. "That's why you're here with people you hate instead of with Muffy at Muffy's estate?"

Marcel eyed the drama queen up and down, silently debating asking her to help him in the costume room later on. She was attractive, and undoubtedly creative, but a colossal pain in the ass according to her reputation. He quickly turned his attention back to Caroline, much to Klaus' dismay. "I'd honestly rather be with you tonight than in Westport," he sang, stepping closer to her with every word.

Klaus wasted no time spitting out his line, "Spare us, old sport, the sound bite."

Marcel stepped behind Caroline and put his hands on her waist, singing directly into her ear, "Mimi, since your ways are so seductive, persuade him not to be so counterproductive."

Caroline immediately pushed him away, a move that hadn't been blocked by any of them until that very moment. "You came onto me!"

"Liar!" Klaus interjected, accusation dripping on his notes.

Marcel either missed the actual anger coming his way or he was too wrapped up in his fantasies to notice. Either way, Stefan had to bite back a laugh. "Why not tell them what you wore to my place?"

Caroline protested with a screech in her song, "I was on my way to work!"

"Black leather and lace." A lecherous smirk lit up the black man's face, his brilliant smile widening as he imagined Mimi's stripper costume. "My desk was a mess. I think I'm still sore," he sang seductively, dragging a long finger down her cheek.

Caroline turned around and actually connected her foot to his shin when she practically growled, "Cause I kicked him and told him I wasn't his whore!"

Marcel was undeterred, his hands again caressing her hips as he locked eyes with Klaus. "Does your boyfriend know who your last boyfriend was?"

"I'm not her boyfriend. I don't care what she does!" the guitarist bellowed, prompting Stefan to finally intervene, humor dancing behind his eyes as he put his phone back in his pocket, a text from a certain ailing 15-year-old amusing him to no end. That kid was one talented hacker as far as he was concerned. The young boy really could take over the world, if he ever got his immune system to cooperate. They'd only met briefly at Caroline's a couple of times, but apparently that was all it took for the teenager to feel comfortable enough to track down his number and text him for a favor. Fortunately, it was a fun one with a lucrative reward.

The director lowered the fader on the sound board set up halfway up the orchestra section and clapped his hands to gather everyone's attention. "Alright guys, girls, whatevers. That's enough for today. You have your individual schedules for the rest of the week. We'll meet on Monday to start choreographing 'La Vie Boehme.' You're dismissed."

It didn't take long for the rest of the cast to dissipate, Katerina eyeing Marcel like he was dinner as he shuffled out the opposite exit with one last lingering look at the blonde actress as she skipped down the aisle to her best friend. Klaus took his time dawdling as he packed up his electric guitar. By the time he made his way to Caroline, he couldn't help but notice the small frown on her face as Stefan walked out the door to the lobby. "Everything alright, sweetheart?" he asked, concerned and grateful that they were alone.

"Huh?" she asked, jumping when he touched the back of her arm and pulled her out of her reverie. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine," she lied, earning her an doubtfully raised eyebrow. She smiled bashfully at him, rubbing the back of her neck with her palm. "Well, if you must know, we had reservations for Nonvalentines Day."

"What on earth is Nonvalentines Day?" he asked, face twisting up in confusion at the unfamiliar term. Was that another greeting card holiday? If it was, he hadn't been put on the mailing list.

Her cheeks flushed, her skin temperature rising as she said in a small and sheepish voice, "It's a thing we made up when we were freshmen in high school. Everyone had started dating, but Stefan was obviously still in the closet and didn't have a date for the Valentine's Day dance. We pretended to be in a relationship to get the jerks on the football team off his back. He was lowkey into dancing even back then, so he pulled some Patrick Swayze stuff in front of the entire school. Nobody ever made fun of him again. Ever since, we do this thing where we celebrate a couple of days before as best friends. Then, on the 14th, we stay in and binge on chocolate and watch 'Dirty Dancing.' At least, that was the plan before he bailed on me. I guess he has a real date tonight."

Klaus frowned. He didn't like seeing that much disappointment on her pretty face. "That wasn't very gentlemanly of him."

"Eh, it happens. No big," the young blonde said with a dismissive wave of her hand as she forced a smile. "Getting bailed on is kind of an occupational hazard when your only friend is a gay theater major, right?"

"Surely he isn't your ONLY friend," Klaus commented. "I always thought your social calendar was quite full."

"Oh! Yeah. Totally. I'm sure I can find someone," she replied while vehemently nodding her head in a way that fooled no one. "I should let you get home to Henrik."

"Stefan was your ride, love," he pointed out. "Can I drop you off somewhere at least?"

"No, no, I'm not gonna make you do that," she said distractedly as she looked off at something in the distance. "I can just catch a ride with whoever. It's cool... but thanks." Klaus crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow when she made no move to reach for her phone. "Stefan gave me his keys to lock up," she added awkwardly. "You don't have to, like, wait for me or whatever."

"Hmmm," he hummed thoughtfully, cocking his head to the side to gaze at the forlorn expression she was trying so hard to hide behind her Miss Mystic smile. Half of Boston had seen her naked and yet she'd never felt as bare as she did as Klaus looked at her appraisingly. He had a way of looking right through her and seeing past the bravado... like he cared what lay beneath. "You're trying to get rid of me so you cancel your reservation while you wait for an Uber to get you home in time for that God-awful pizza you and Henrik are always raving about."

"That pizza is my life, ok? You just have NO taste, Mr. 'Steak Tartar,'" she snarked defensively, making finger quotes about his uptight yuppie food, as she liked to call it.

"And the rest of what I said?" he replied without missing a beat, his gaze softening. "Am I right?"

"No! You're literally never right, ok?" she sassed before adding, "I was actually thinking greasy Chinese take-out, thank you very much."

"I'm sure if you try even a little bit, you can find a suitable replacement date." Something inside of him ached at the way she avoided his face, like she couldn't stand to look at him... or couldn't stand to be looked at. He wasn't sure exactly which, but he was never sure of anything when it came to her. What he did know what that there was no way he was just going to walk away and leave her there alone. "You really don't have anyone you can ask to join you?" he asked with a frown, his feelings about his question conflicted. On one hand, he didn't particularly want her going off with someone else to dinner. On the other, he hated thinking of her sitting at home eating take-out alone.

The lonely blonde looked down at her shoes and took her time finding the right words. "Nik, the closest I'm ever gonna get to a restaurant on one of my dates is if it's in a hotel on the way to the elevator," she finally answered, her voice so soft he barely heard the words.

Klaus grimaced at the thought of how many men used his newfound friend on to throw her away. "I don't have dinner plans, either," he said awkwardly, shuffling his weight from foot to foot.

Caroline's eyebrows raised in surprise. Was he actually trying to make her feel better? If he was, was he commiserating about their shared lack of dinner companions, or was he offering to take her place to spare her the shame of calling the restaurant to cancel? It was hard to tell with him. A couple of months ago, she wouldn't have even told him she'd had plans at all, and now here she was spilling her guts. What was even stranger was that he genuinely seemed to care. Nobody cared about her plans, except for Stefan... who had just bailed on her. "Well," she began slowly, "I mean the reservation is in an hour and a half. If you leave now, you and Henrik could take it, if you wanted to," she offered, taking a guess at which scenario seemed the most likely. "It's at Ostra, though, so you'd have to talk him into putting on a jacket and tie," she added with a frown. The teenager hated getting dressed up.

Klaus couldn't help but smile at the way she looked down at her shoes and worried her lower lip. Her transparency was adorable. At least, he hoped this was her covert way of asking him to join her. Did she honestly believe he would take her reservation without including her? He inwardly knew he had the emotional availability of a snow pea, but surely she didn't think so low of him, did she? He wasn't sure, but there was only one way to find out.

"Or I could escort you in Stefan's place."

"Seriously?!" she asked quickly, eyes widening in shock. "You? Go with me? Like, just us go?"

Klaus' ears burned at her reaction, his chest tightening as he looked away. "Or not," he replied with what he hoped was a casual shrug. "It was just an idea, seeing as you have a reservation already in place and neither of us have any other plans. I meant no imposition. I should go," he said, swallowing hard as he changed the subject to let her off the hook. What had he been thinking? "I would prefer if you would let me give you a ride, but you're free to call an Uber should that be your preference. I would appreciate it if you'd allow me to wait until it arrives, though," he finished, unable to look at her, the patterns of the wood comprising the apron suddenly fascinating.

"Yeah, yeah I can call one," she replied, nodding her head as her blonde curls bounced up and down. "I don't want you to go out of your way or anything," she explained, biting her lower lip, phone still securely in the pocket of her jeans. "Unless you wanted to go," she added, tentatively looking up at him through her eyelashes, her porcelain face still aimed at her shoes.

"I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to, love," he said with a frown. Why was that so hard for her to believe? He'd never lied to her. Omitted things, perhaps, but he'd never given her a reason to doubt him. Although, he reluctantly admitted to himself, he'd never said much that wasn't related to his little brother, either.

A sudden burst of shame flowed through her at the hurt reflected on his face. "Well, I mean, I don't want you to feel obligated or anything. I'm down if you are," she said hopefully as she wrung her hands together. "It'd be nice to do something unrelated to music or medicine."

Relief flooded through him as he exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. "Agreed," he said with a small smile as he held out his arm.

She took it happily and followed him to his Porsche. "I need to stop by my place to change. Ostra is pretty high-end. Do you need to go grab a jacket at your place or something?"

"Oh, yes, of course," he said, the name of the restaurant clicking this time. She must have had those reservations for ages. It was among the best in in the entire city. Anger bubbled up inside of him that her supposed best friend cancelled on her in the eleventh hour. Whatever text he had gotten had better have provided a good enough reason to let Caroline down the way he had, not that she'd ever admit it. "Would you like me to drop you off and meet you there or shall I wait for you?"

"You can wait. I have a new dress set out already, and I can do my makeup in the car. Does my hair look ok down?" He looked over at her blankly, unsure how to answer. "You think I should put it up real quick?" she asked slowly, confused by his silence. "Or I could blow it out if that'd be better?"

"Uh, I don't know that I'm a very good authority on women's hairstyles, sweetheart," he answered with a small smirk, his dimples oddly adorable beneath his stubble.

"Oh! Right, you're not gay. Duh," she laughed. "Sorry, babe, bad habit. I'm not used to hanging out with straight guys." He chuckled back at her and they chatted all the way to her place.

True to her word, she was in and out in a matter of minutes, makeup bag in hand. It was snowing and she was wearing a long red winter coat and a white knit cap, snowflakes dotting her long blonde curls and shoulders. He had to force himself to focus on the road when the fabric fell open enough to reveal her long legs, the pleated ivory skirt of her dress falling just above her knees. They stopped by Klaus' house long enough for Caroline to say hi to Henrik, allowing the older Mikaelson to get dressed in a black suit and crisp ivory shirt that matched her dress. His tie was hanging around his neck. She walked up to him almost shy and tied it for him, earning her a small smile complete with dimples. His throat tightened when he peered down and inadvertently caught a glimpse of her strapless dress, breasts prominently on display beneath her red coat and white sweater. She returned him smile when he guided her back to his car, his palm warm against the small of her back even with the thick wool and cashmere between them.

The pair were laughing as they walked into Ostra arm in arm. Klaus snapped his eyes forward when her smile suddenly fell off her face, a shadow clouding across her sapphire gaze. "Hey, Care," a young man with tan skin and jet-black hair said as he leered at her, eyeing her up and down. Something about the way he was looking at her set Klaus' on edge, his jaw tightening. "Nice dress," he added as he leaned forward to stare at her breasts.

"Tyler," she snapped, arm subconsciously tightening around her date's. Was this a date? No, it couldn't be. He was just taking Stefan's place. He was being a good friend... a hot friend with sexy dimples and toned muscles.

"Hello, mate," Klaus greeted the intruder, his voice cold inside the heated restaurant. "Call me Klaus. I'm Caroline's date this evening." Well, that answered that question. Something inside her chest warmed at his words. Burned at the tight grip he held as he pulled her closer to him, his hand now wrapped protectively around her hip, her hand subconsciously falling on top of his as she leaned back against his shoulder. Something about him felt safe in a way she didn't recognize but wouldn't mind getting to know.

"She doesn't date," the man, Tyler, said snidely, something about his smile menacing. The way he leered at the young blonde made Klaus' eye twitch as he ground his teeth. "Not that she doesn't have her talents, right Care?"

She bristled at the insult and narrowed her eyes at the other man. She'd gone home with him a couple of times but he'd been a complete ass. After he'd spread some unflattering rumors about her abilities, Stefan had let it slip that she'd told him that Tyler wasn't much of a man to begin with. "I save my talents for people who matter," she snarked defensively.

Tyler laughed out loud and sneered, "You mean anyone who's breathing?"

The barb had barely passed his lips before Klaus was practically growling in his face. "I suggest your shut your mouth."

The younger man squared his shoulders and stepped dangerously close to the older Mikaelson. "I suggest you back the fuck off," he snarled, shoving Klaus hard in the chest. "Her mouth is the best thing about her," he said with a lewd glance in her direction, her face burning as her eyes began to sting. "Although, her ass is pretty tight, too." Before she had time to process what was happening, Tyler stumbled back against the hostess' podium when Klaus' fist connected with his face. Blood trickled down his nose as he howled in agony. He lunged forward, but Klaus easily dodged his attack and knocked him flat on his back with a hard elbow to the ribs.

"That's no way to treat a lady," the sandy-blond haired man spat venomously. "Come on, sweetheart. Let's get out of here. Surely we can find somewhere that doesn't serve the riff raff." Turning back to his date, he took her hand and cocked his head towards the door. Caroline turned her nose up at the man cowering on the floor and hmphed as she followed Klaus into the snow.

As soon as they were safely back at his Porsche, she let go of her forced composure and laughter burst out of her chest. "I can't believe you just did that! You just broke Tyler Lockwood's face!"

"He insulted you," he replied simply, closing the door after she slid inside. "Did you say Lockwood?" he asked when he sat behind the wheel, a sly curl to his upper lip as he looked up a contact in his Galaxy. She nodded her head and peeked at the screen. Her jaw dropped when she saw that who he was calling. "Carol, good evening. It's Niklaus Mikaelson. I hope I'm not disturbing you?" he began smoothly. The actress watched in awe as he recounted the events to Tyler's mother.

She could barely contain herself, words tumbling out as soon as he hung up. "You're friends with the MAYOR of Boston?"

Klaus smirked at her proudly. "She was very close to my mother. They studied painting together at the University of Brighton before Carol decided to transfer to law school," he explained casually. "I took my mother's seat on the board of the Boston Museum of Fine Arts after the accident. She was quite the gifted painter." He turned over the engine and cranked up the heater when he saw Caroline rubbing her hands together to keep warm. "My childhood wasn't particularly pleasant, but art was the one thing we had in common. I spent a lot of time in her studio as a child," he continued, frowning slightly. "With Henrik as ill as he is, I'm more or less a silent donor at this point, but I still contribute a fair amount every quarter."

The young blonde nodded her head, clearly impressed. "I didn't know you paint."

Klaus shrugged, looking ahead at the road, piles of gray snow illuminated by dim streetlights. "You never asked," he replied simply. She felt a pang of guilt. He was right. She'd never put forth any effort to get to know who he was beyond Henrik's annoying older brother. The more she learned about him, the less annoying he became. "Unfortunately, I think I may have cost us your Nonvalentine's day dinner. Sorry about that, love," he said apologetically.

"Oh, it was SO worth it!" she practically cheered when she held up her phone to show him that Tyler had just texted his sincerest apologies. They both burst into laughter as they imagined the look on his face when his mother called to scold him.

"Perhaps," he agreed, his dimples peeking out behind his characteristic stubble. She'd never noticed them before he'd been cast as Roger. Maybe it was just that he never smiled before. She found more and more that she liked that smile and wanted to be the cause of it. "Still, I did cost you your dinner. How can I acquit myself?"

"Hmmm..." she hummed, tilting her head to the side as though seriously debating the question. He looked at her sideways as he downshifted when a stoplight a block up the street changed to red. "You can make it up to me with..." she teased, smiling brightly when she finally answered, "pizza!" Klaus groaned and rolled his eyes as he shifted the Porsche back into first. "Seriously?!" she quipped. "How can you hate Crispy Dough?" she asked, knowing his answer. He wasn't a fan of anything that involved grease dripping down the sleeve of his Henleys. Caroline dressed in everything from tight skirts and halter tops to what Henrik liked to call Eskimo-chic. Klaus was the opposite. With rare exceptions like tonight, he typically rocked long sleeved Henleys and jeans, a wolfstooth necklace and rosary always hidden beneath the soft fabric of his shirt.

"Fine. I'm willing to pick up one of those pesto pizzas to go, but you'll not get me to eat in that smoky little dining area," he reluctantly agreed, glaring at the pout she was giving him. "God, I just know I'm going to regret this," he conceded with a groan when they pulled up to the small pizzeria, resigning himself to eating there. She clapped her hands excitedly and practically bounced out of the car. As he watched her skip inside the crowded restaurant, he couldn't help but chuckle to himself, a small smile crossing his features at her enthusiasm for junk food. By the time he found a parking spot, she'd already ordered a large Slightly Pesto Pizza. It was a white pizza splashed with pesto, diced tomato, fresh garlic and mozzarella cheese. He dusted the snow off one of the outside tables and shook off the flimsy metal chair before holding it out for her. They chatted for a few minutes before a waitress came out with their food.

"Finally!" she exclaimed happily, pulling off her ivory cashmere gloves. She wasted no time helping herself to a greasy slice, moaning when the taste of cheese and tomato melted on her tongue.

Klaus did not share her zeal for scalding mozzarella, eyeing the pizza with distaste as he let it cool in the frozen winter air. "I don't know how you can eat that and still expect to fit into your costume," he said with an amused edge to his British accent, the twinkle in his eye giving away his faux disapproval.

She laughed, swallowing down a gulp of her Sprite. "What can I say? My body is a temple and I'm a girl who LOVES to worship," she sassed, grease dripping down her chin. She wiped it away with the back of her hand. "In more ways than one," she added with a playful wink. He smiled at her and tentatively nibbled the tip of his pizza before taking a bite. He chewed slowly as he eyed her contemplatively. "What? Did I get grease on me?" she asked when she caught him staring. He shook his head, taking another bite. She raised an eyebrow at him. "I can tell you're thinking thoughts, Nik. What's up?" she asked curiously.

He finished off his slice, wiping his hands on a paper napkin. "Have you ever considered... reducing how much you worship with others?" he asked cautiously.

Caroline scoffed, annoyance marring her features. "Look, just because you have a problem with how often I like getting laid doesn't mean that I do, and frankly it really isn't any of your business how long I spend on my knees," she spat back, angrily wiping her hands on her napkin. She pulled her winter coat around her, suddenly feeling the chill of the February night.

Klaus shook his head as he picked up another slice. "No, that isn't what I meant. I wasn't suggesting you reduce the amount of time you spend... worshipping," he finished awkwardly.

"Then what ARE you suggesting?"

He inhaled and opened his mouth to speak, but blew out his nostril in a huff as he tried to choose his words carefully. "Well, I was simply curious as to whether or not you would ever, perhaps, narrow down the list of those with whom you... worship."

Apparently, his words weren't careful enough. Her eyes flashed in anger, her voice rising with her temper. "Are you calling me a slut?! If I want to go out and find someone to take me home, that's my right, bible boy. I thought we got over this judgy thing you've got going on."

"I know... It's just..." he tried to explain, holding up his hands in what he hoped was a placating gesture. "Would you ever consider, perhaps, not always finding someone new with whom you can worship?" he asked with a sudden knot in his chest. "Perhaps returning to a previous… worshipper?"

"OH!" she exclaimed, eyes widening in surprise when she figured out where he was going. "You mean would I ever have like a fuck buddy?" His bashful expression almost made her laugh out loud. He was so shy; it was adorable. "Yeah, I've a couple of regulars over the years," she answered, shrugging as she resumed her chewing.

He nodded his head thoughtfully. He sipped his Coke through a straw, frozen cubes tinkling against the foggy glass cup. He swirled the ice around with the biodegradable paper, intentionally avoiding her piercing blue eyes that saw right through him. "So, you wouldn't ever have, maybe, just one... worshipper?"

"Well..." she said thoughtfully, her voice trailing off as she considered what he was really asking. The corner of her cherry lips curled up in a playful smile when he finally peeked up at her from beneath his long lashes. "He would need to have a lot of spare time." His face lit up in a genuine smile as they both laughed, the winter air suddenly not frigid at all.

The oddly paired students ate faster than they would have liked, but the snow had been steadily picking up speed since before they'd left his mansion. If they didn't leave soon, there was no way Klaus would be able to get his car on the road. It really was very impractical for New England in the winter, but Henrik loved it and that was all that mattered to his older brother. Once they arrived at the apartment Caroline shared with Stefan, Klaus insisted on walking her up the stairs.

"Well, that didn't go quite as planned," he said awkwardly when they reached her front door.

"No, but that pizza was epic," she said, laughing when he made a face. "And it was nice to take a break from rehearsals."

He nodded his head in agreement, the cold working its way into his bones. "It was. Would you like to get back to work tomorrow?"

"Yeah, totally," she said quickly. Before he could respond, she smacked herself on the forehead. "But I have to work on the choreography for 'Out Tonight' tomorrow afternoon with Stefan!" she moaned.

Klaus smiled anyway, doing his best to bite back his disappointment. "Another time, then." He stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. After a minute, he tucked his gloved hands into his pockets and looked down at the light dusting of snow covering his boots. "Well, I guess I should get back to Henrik."

Caroline nodded, also suddenly unsure of herself. She wasn't used to the night ending on this side of the door. "Wait!" she called after him after he started walking to the stairs. He turned back to face her while she scrambled to organize her thoughts. "Umm, we could meet after that? I'll be done by dinner."

"Oh, you wanted to have dinner?" he asked, surprised by how much the idea pleased him.

"No!" she replied immediately. "No, I don't mean 'no,'" she corrected herself, making finger quotes. "What I meant was I'll be done before it's time for dinner… er…" She inwardly cringed at the melancholy resignation on his face. "Ok, here's the thing: I don't know what I meant. What I didn't mean was to make you feel like you HAVE to buy me dinner or whatever," she explained as she wrung her hands together anxiously.

Klaus looked at her skeptically. "So, you don't want me to buy you dinner?"

"Not if you don't want to!" she said quickly, an odd lump settling in her throat. "Like, you don't HAVE to. I can eat, and you can eat, and then we can hook up. Hang out! I mean hang out. I mean… Shit."

Klaus reached out to stop her hands from fidgeting. "Caroline, it's fine if you'd prefer to meet only to rehearse," he said quietly, offering up a sad smile that he hoped was soothing.

"Oh, ok," she said as she looked down at her heels, suddenly fascinated by the straps. "Well, cool. I guess."

The older man gulped down his own nerves and took a chance. "Unless you wanted to have dinner," he said delicately. "Then we could… if you wanted to… Do you?" he asked, looking up at her uncertainly. "Want to?"

"Do you?" she asked, cautiously meeting his gaze.

"I would love to take you to dinner, sweetheart. All you have to do is ask," he said with a flash of his dimples.

"Ok. Cool," she said, smiling brightly back at him. "Well, here, give me your number so I can call you when I'm ready." She pulled out her phone to hand it to him before pulling back when a troublesome thought occurred to her. "Oh, if you want to… give me your number. I mean, you don't HAVE to give it to me. We could just pick a time if you'd rather do that," she offered, gnawing on her lower lip.

Klaus chuckled and handed her his phone, quickly unlocking it with his fingerprint. "Send yourself a text from my phone. Then we'll have each other's numbers, hmm?"

Caroline nodded, gratefully taking it from his outstretched palm. "Yeah, ok, cool. I can do that."

Klaus smiled at her as he took back his phone and saved her number. "Right. Well, I suppose we'll talk later, then?"

"Sure! Call anytime," she nodded before quickly rambling, "If you wanted to call, I mean. Like, there's not like a 'bad' time to call me. If I can't pick up, I'll call you back. Or text. I'm really more of a texter. Henrik can tell you that," she added with a nervous laugh. "So, text anytime, I guess."

"I'll text you in the morning," he promised. He leaned in and pecked her on the cheek before smiling again, his heart pounding in his chest. "Goodnight, Caroline."

"Goodnight, Nik," she whispered to his back as he walked down the stairs. She was still holding her gloved hand where she'd just felt his warm lips, an idiotic grin splitting her face in two when she walked through the door to find Stefan smirking at her from the couch. Her smile faded and her jaw dropped when she found him in his pajamas, clearly never having gone anywhere but home. She narrowed her eyes at him as she hung up her coat, quickly putting two and two together. Hand on her hips, she walked over to him and stared him down as she asked, "How much did that little meddler pay you to cancel Nonvalentine's day?"

Stefan wiggled his eyebrows at her and didn't even try to deny it. "A thousand dollars," he confessed with a totally unapologetic smile.

"Unbelievable," she huffed. She just shook her head on the way to her room, chuckling to herself as images of billboards and signs proclaiming, 'Henrik Mikaelson for President' danced through her mind. That kid was going to take over the world someday.

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A/N Whew! Awkward Klaus and clueless Caroline are among my favorite to write. Please leave me a review to let me know what you thought! And don't forget to follow me on tumblr at Eliliyah for sneak peaks! Thank you for reading!


	5. Reason Says I Should Have Died

A/N It's been so long! I'm sorry! I've been sidetracked with first the KC Awards and then Klaroline Valentine's Day Bingo. Thank you so much to the few of you reading this. Please let me know what you think!

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**Chapter Five – Reason Says I Should Have Died**

"All those fairy tales are full of shit. One more fucking love song, I'll be sick." Caroline bobbed her head and sang along to Maroon 5 as she blasted the stereo en route to the Mikaelson mansion. Henrik had had a bad night after Nonvalentine's day, leading his brother to cancel dinner with the bubbly blonde. Since the ailing teen was still sick to his stomach, she'd offered to bring dinner to them. The last thing on earth she wanted was to go out to dinner on the _real _Valentine's Day. Being surrounded by sugary sweet couples pretending their lives weren't sour sounded like literal torture. Nope, relationships were not for her.

Still, she had to bite back an idiotic grin when Klaus met her outside to open her car door as snow gently fell from the February sky, the sun setting over the Boston horizon. "Hello, love." He greeted her with just a hint of dimples beneath a brush of stubble.

"Hey, how's it going?"

It had been rhetorical, but guys never answered her questions unless it was to confirm that they brought condoms. She was oblivious and missed when he opened his mouth to actually answer her question, biting his tongue when she turned around to grab a box of food from the passenger's seat. "More pizza?" he asked, his face twisting when he eyed the Santarpia's box. "You and Henrik are obsessed."

"Don't worry, rockstar. I got bar-be-cue this time," she assured him with an eye roll. She balanced the box on her hip to close her door, but he took it from her without a word. "Nice touch with the chivalry," she teased as they walked up the snow-covered driveway. Winter was a brutal master.

"Did you get the steak skewers?" Henrik asked excitedly as he waited in the foyer. Having Caroline over on Valentine's day was exactly what the mischievous matchmaking teen had planned when he was 'too sick' to be left alone the night prior.

"Seriously?" Caroline gave him an exasperated look that advertised how ridiculous she thought the question. "I got steak and chicken for us and lamb skewers for rich boy over here," she teased with a playful wink as she took off her winter coat.

The dynamic between the two students had changed dramatically since they'd started rehearsals... and getting to know each other as people instead of employer and pseudo-employee who didn't cash her checks. She'd called him by the same epithet for years as an insult, but now it was said with humor and a flirtation neither of them would admit existed. It was a good thing they had an angel working on their behalf. At least, that's what Henrik told himself when he'd tricked them into starring in his favorite musical as on-stage lovers. Hey, it worked for Idina Menzel and Taye Diggs, right?

"And before you ask," Caroline said, holding out her palm, "yes, I got the cannoli from Mike's Pastry."

"Wicked awesome!" Henrik exclaimed happily, punching the air as he wheeled to the dining room. "Did you get the ones with extra chocolate chips?"

"Is there any other kind?" Klaus interjected as they took their seats at the massive antique dining room table beneath a crystal chandelier. "What?" he asked, shrugging at Caroline's dropped jaw. "I like sugar, too."

"You learn something new every day." Her tone was light and her smile was bright. The young blonde quickly doled out their entrees on to ornate china dishes as Henrik lit long tapered candles, earning him a raised brow from his caretaker. The young boy gave him a look and the older man wisely said nothing. He simply shook his head and rolled his eyes, a newly acquired habit. Caroline, as usual, was clueless.

"Are you wearing makeup?" Henrik asked hopefully around a bite of steak. At her confused expression, he qualified, "Your cheeks are all pink."

The actress's hands flew to her face and realized how chilled she was. "Just the kind from good ol' mother nature. Winter's a b-" she stumbled over her words when Klaus glared at her admonishingly, "banshee." She added with a hint of amused severity, "It's very cold outside."

"I know the 'b word,' Nik," he sneered at his brother's scowl. "Winter sucks. I can't wait until we get to California."

Caroline tilted her head to the side and looked at her new friend. "You didn't tell me you were going on vacation. Is now really a good time to travel?" she asked, cocking her head just a tiny bit at the teenager.

Henrik rolled his eyes. "Why? 'Cuz I can't stop puking my guts out?" He defiantly took a bite of chicken from his skewer. "When have I ever let a little virus stop me?"

"Literally never," she replied proudly. "You're my little trooper." She ruffled his bandana as she teased him, earning her a slap that made her laugh.

"Hey, knock it off. I have an important TikTok to make later for that secretary's niece," he complained as he fixed his artfully tied stylish fabric headwear, as he liked to call the rag he wore on his head to cover up his baldness.

"Henrik, you're too young to be dating," Klaus scolded him, gingerly nibbling on his lamb skewer to avoid getting thick, brown sauce all over himself as had his dinner companions with the first bite.

"And you're too old not to," he shot back with a waggle of his eyebrows. At the narrowing of his brother's eyes, he deflected by turning back to their guest. "We're not vacationing there. Mr. Lawyer here is going to go to Stanford and get us out of the snow."

"Stanford?" she asked in shock, a spark shooting to her chest that she didn't want to think about.

Klaus looked at her sheepishly and shrugged. "I've applied, but that doesn't mean I'll get in."

The virulent teenager snorted as he messily wiped his face on a cloth napkin. "You got into Harvard. That's better than Stanford."

"I'm friends with the Mayor and have been making sizable contributions to a variety of charities supporting various universities in Boston for years." He looked apologetically at Caroline. Henrik had been harassing him about the winter since Klaus had become his caretaker following their parent's death. If he had to be sick, he wanted to be sick on the beach surrounded by hot teenagers in bikinis who all fawned over his wheelchair tricks. "There's very little chance I'll get in given my spotty academic track record."

"You have a 4.0 and have never missed a class. Part time doesn't mean dropout, and you have a sick kid brother to take care of," Henrik pointed out. "You said if you get accepted, we can go."

Caroline's gaze flicked back to Klaus, uncertainty fogging her sapphire eyes. "I did say that," he admitted, quickly standing to gather up the dishes.

"I'll get that." Suddenly filled with an uncontrollable need to clean, she rose from her chair and grabbed the dishes from his hands. "Henrik, go get cleaned up. You're a mess." His older brother looked at him smugly, holding up his hands to show off his pristine fingernails.

With a wicked smirk, the youngest Mikealson wiped his hands all over his brother's light grey Henley. "Catch me if you can!" He turned on a dime and wheeled off for the elevator to take him to his bedroom upstairs with the handicap accessible bathroom, his older brother stomping off with a growl as he chased after him. Klaus had had a great deal of the mansion modified when Henrik had lost the ability to walk. Neither of them had wanted to give up the mansion for a single-story home just because he was sick. It was only temporary. There would be a cure someday.

By the time the caretaker found Caroline in the kitchen, she was elbow deep in scalding hot water washing the fine china they'd used for cheap takeout. "Can I dry for you?" he asked politely, grabbing a microfiber cloth out of the housekeeper's pantry.

Eyeing him sideways, the student bit back a smile as the sight of him holding a rag. "Sure. That'd be great. Thanks." She did her best to suppress a giggle, keeping her eyes on the sink as she rinsed the last of the suds down the drain.

Klaus looked around the giant kitchen to see what was so funny before he realized the dish wasn't getting dry. "Am I doing something wrong, sweetheart?" he asked, his silky British accent tinged with insecurity.

"Many things," she conceded with a laugh. "Here, give me that." She took the plate from him and quickly dried it with a paper towel. Nodding at the cloth, she explained, "First? Those are for the counters, not things we eat with." He looked down at the rag with disdain and dropped it in the stainless-steel trash can. "Second? I've hooked up in restaurants that weren't as fancy as your kitchen." She turned her back just in time to miss the way his topaz eyes darkened at the mention of her leisure activities. "Third, you have to use the sanitizer after you wash them." She pushed a button and a large square of stainless steel opened over what looked like a massive dishwasher. "The last thing we need is Henrik catching something he just got over because the rich boy half assed the dishes." The future lawyer knew his costar was making fun of him, but he couldn't help grinning at her anyway. "So, Standford, huh?"

And then he wasn't smiling. His dimples faded and he looked at her almost bashfully from beneath his long lashes. "It isn't my first choice."

"But it is Henrik's," she pointed out, a jagged blade in her chest as she thought about losing both of them. It wasn't easy for the town slut to find a real friend, let alone a second family. She forced a smile and tried to laugh away the slicing pain. "And he usually gets his way. Like, you know how he is. Henrik wants it and Henrik gets it. Manipulative little teen. That kid is going to take over the world someday. Like, he could totally be president. You know, if he wasn't-"

"Caroline." He cut off her ramble with a gentle palm to her forearm. She looked down at where flesh met flesh and flushed, suddenly self-conscious for the first time in a long time. He awkwardly let go of her arm before speaking again when her focus returned to his face. "Henrik gets what he wants because he's very sick." His throat tightened, a rock settling halfway down his esophagus. "A move across the country is different than letting him pick out a car. He isn't doing well, love." It was a quiet confession shared between two lost souls forced to watch helplessly as a young boy faded away. "It's doubtful he'll ever be able to leave Boston."

The actress hadn't learned the lines he needed to hear. Emotions weren't her specialty. Back alley blowjobs were... and it was doubtful he'd want one of those. Taking a deep breath, she steeled her resolve. "He's going to get better though... right?" Her voice was small, afraid of the truth she knew was coming but didn't want to hear.

Klaus looked at her sadly. "I wish I knew, sweetheart."

A heaviness settled between the two friends as they shared in the moment. "You don't think he's going to... you know... You know?"

"Die?" he asked candidly, the word foreign on his tongue, if not in his mind. She minutely nodded her head, too scared to answer him aloud. "Dr. Fell assures me the doctors are doing all they can, but his prognosis... It's not good, Caroline."

Miss Mystic had no smile and Boston knew no joy. Grim resolve filled her as she offered a gift no one should ever need to give a dying child. "I'm his blood type. What about a liver transplant?"

The actor looked at her, astonished that she would even know that, let alone suggest giving up a part of herself. He saw sincerity reflected in her sapphire eyes and hated himself for extinguishing the flame of her eternal optimism. "I'm a match, too," he replied softly, "but as of now, she doesn't think he'll survive another surgery."

"She thinks I'm going to die?!" Neither of them had seen the object of their conversation wheel up behind them, confusion and anger marring his gaunt features.

"Henrik," his brother began, taking a step forward.

"Get away from me!" he shouted fiercely. "You said I was getting better! You lied to me, you fucking asshole!" He spun his chair around, tears forming in his eyes that he would not let his tutor see.

"Henrik, wait!" the guitarist yelled, stopped only by Caroline's tiny palm on his firm chest.

"Go to hell, Nik!" He sped off down the hall, slamming the heavy oak door behind him.

"God damnit," Caroline groaned, swiftly apologizing when Klaus glared at her for good measure, even though they both knew his righteous indignation was a façade for his little brother. "Sorry, Nik. I didn't know he was listening in."

"More like snooping," the older man replied bitterly. He audibly sighed and dragged his hands down his face, his harsh stubble scraping his palms. "Anyway," he deflected after a moment, "leaving Boston isn't much of an option at the moment. You needn't worry."

The blonde went to the fridge and sipped a bottle of ice-cold Fiji water, silently handing one to Klaus. He took it gratefully and drank deeply to sooth the ache in his chest no liquid could fill. "I guess we have bigger problems than law school, huh?"

"As I said, I've been accepted to Harvard. It's a better school and it's here in Boston." He finished the water and tossed the empty bottle in the stainless-steel recycling bin on his way out, beckoning for her to follow.

It didn't take long for the pair to find Henrik. It was no surprise that he was in the music room, quietly plucking out a bittersweet melody on his older brother's guitar. They listened at the door as he softly sang to himself, oblivious to their presence.

"Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?"

The co-stars shared a meaningful glance and nodded to each other. Klaus walked in first and picked up his favorite electric guitar. The teenager's face was a mask, but his eyes conveyed the depths of his sorrow. He picked up the next verse, followed soon by Caroline's soprano as the brothers strummed along.

"Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?"

Henrik set down the acoustic guitar and took his tutor's hand, gently squeezing it as their voices blended with Klaus' as he continued the round.

"Will I lose my dignity? Will someone care? Will I wake tomorrow from this nightmare?"

They sang through the entire song twice, taking their cue from Henrik when he let his voice trail off. He sniffled and covertly wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve. They both pretended they hadn't seen it, but they did. They saw everything. Black denial. Red agony. Blue regret. The colors of the rainbow swarm in the little boy's eyes as he thought about things he didn't want to know but had to learn. Things he didn't want to happen but had to accept.

Caroline sat down next to him and took his hand. "'Will I' is a great song,'" she began tentatively, "but there's another one in there that's a little more hopeful. Know the one I mean?"

"Obviously," he snorted, rolling his eyes as he came back to himself. With a taunting gaze at his older brother, he asked, "You know 'Life Support' yet, Nik?"

Klaus frowned and grumbled, "Rehearsals just started. There are months left before opening night."

The young blonde laughed as she tossed a book of sheet music at him. "Sounds like somebody hasn't been learning his lines."

"Roger isn't even in that scene," he mumbled petulantly. "Besides, it's less than two minutes. It doesn't even matter all that much."

"What?!"

"Seriously?!"

Now it was Klaus' turn to roll his eyes at their simultaneous sass. "Why do I feel like you're about to correct my misconception?"

"Umm because we are?" Caroline scoffed before launching into a diatribe. "It's a critical scene because it hammers home the importance of Mimi's message at the end of 'Another Day.' And I know you know that one," she admonished, pointing her index finger at him. He felt a rush of embarrassment as he recalled his outburst after she'd found him singing to himself after learning Henrik's latest diagnosis. "The whole point of the show is to learn to love while you can and live for today, which is pretty fitting, if you ask me," she added to her accomplice before turning back to the musician. "Through the music, Roger, aka _you_, slowly accepts that he can't just go through life being an asshat who pushes people away."

"Hint hint, Nik," Henrik mouthed at Klaus, cocking his head towards the blonde who had her back to him as she lectured the older man.

"Fine, fine, fine," he conceded. "It's very important. Fair point well made, little brother. I have seen the error of my ways and will work to correct them."

With a mischievous gleam in her eye, Caroline flipped the music book to 'Life Support' and lay it open on the music stand in front of the rock singer. "Start by making it up to us," she said brightly, clapping her hands together excitedly as her words challenged him, earning her narrowed eyes.

Before he could respond, she sang in a smooth melody, "There's only us. There's only this."

"Forget regret, or life is yours to miss," Henrik chimed in after her.

With a resigned sigh, Klaus conceded and sang along for a few lines. They began running the lines when he tripped over the words. "Excuse me, Henrik-"

"Paul!" they shouted together, correcting his error.

"Right, sorry. I told you I don't know this part," he groaned as they made him do it twice more. "I'm having a problem with this, this credo. His T-cells are low. I regret that news."

Ignoring his pronoun flub, Caroline sang to him, "How do you feel today?"

"Best I've felt all year."

"Then why choose fear?" Henrik interjected.

Klaus bit the inside of his cheek as the gravity of what they were singing about started to seep into his bones. It was a show about people dying from disease learning to live with what time they had left. Measuring in love how they spent their last year on earth. Henrik didn't have a lot of time. Probably not even a year. Realistically, Klaus knew that and had for a long time. Facing it through music was _such_ a Caroline thing to do. He wondered briefly if she hadn't orchestrated the whole thing from the start, but given her intense dislike of him only a few months prior, he somewhat doubted his suspicions.

"Look, I find some of what you teach suspect," he sang slowly, looking away. "Because I'm used to relying on intellect, but I try to open up to what I don't know." He'd turned to God to find some magical cure. His prayers had not been answered. Instead, he found a savior in Caroline Forbes. Someone to stand beside him in times of trouble. He looked at her hopeful eyes and gulped, the next line suddenly forgotten.

Henrik watched his caretaker with a soft eye, head tilted to the side. He wheeled over and took his brother's hand and sang sweetly, "Because reason says I should have died three years ago." He waited to see if Klaus would pick up where he left off, but he didn't. "There's only us. There's only this. Forget regret or life is yours to miss."

Sensing her new friend's internal conflict at singing something he didn't believe, Caroline joined Henrik for the final chorus, Klaus' voice still lost as they sang to him, imploring him to listen. "No other road. No other way. No day but today."

Long moments passed in heavy silence before the older brother finally broke the silence.  
I'm sorry I lied to you, little brother. I just worry for you. A transplant hasn't been ruled out completely. You should know, if there was even the slightest chance it could work, I'd give you half of mine-"

"Yeah, I know," Henrik said quietly, looking down at his useless legs. "I'm sorry, too. I'm sorry I told you to go to hell. I know how seriously you take that stuff."

Timing impeccable as ever, Caroline whispered a little too loudly in her friend's ear, "Ummm... he doesn't know?"

"Later, Caroline," he gritted out between clenched teeth. Sometimes she was so clueless.

"Oh my God!" Henrik exclaimed, his mood suddenly much brighter. "Did he finally tell you he's full of shit?"

"You knew?!" Klaus asked incredulously.

"Obviously," the other two replied with matching eyerolls.

Klaus sighed and groaned. "Fine, fine, I'm not a devout Catholic. There, I said it." The pair laughed at his menacing glare, Caroline biting her lower lip when he started to get annoyed. "I do believe in God, though. I'm just not a fanatic, alright?" He paused for a beat as his little brother took longer to compose himself. "Have I made it up to you yet?"

"No, actually, you haven't." Henrik crossed his arms over his chest and hmphed. "You lied to me. You owe me a movie."

"Fair enough," he conceded. "I suppose you have something in mind?"

"Do I ever!" he shouted excitedly, bouncing in his seat. "Caroline, you won't believe what I got my hands on." She turned to him, her interest piqued. She knew from previous experience that Henrik had ways of finding obscure recordings that he should never have been able to acquire. She'd stopped asking questions when he showed up with a professional recording of _Hamilton_. There were also way too many emotions in the room, and it took everything in her not to run like hell. "Three words: Tick Tick Boom."

"Seriously?!" she chirped, her jaw dropping. She turned to Klaus, happily clapping her hands. As usual, he had no idea what they were talking about, his expression blank. The odd man out. "It's the first show by Jonathan Larson!"

The caretaker frowned. "I thought Rent was his only show. Didn't he die just before opening night?"

"Yes, that's true," she agreed with an approving nod, "but, there was one he wrote before Rent went to Broadway. It's about his life the year he turned thirty, six years before his magnum opus made it's debut. It's fantastic! You'll love it. I promise!"

"Just give me ten minutes to set up the movie room!" Henrik wheeled away before either could say anything.

"Why do I feel like we're being set up?" Klaus commented suspiciously.

Caroline giggled a little bit at his ire. "Because he's Henrik. That kid is always getting into something."

"I'd like it if he could get into remission." His tone was light, but his words were serious. She tilted her head to side and smiled sadly. Again, she didn't know the lines for the script of the dying boy. The pair shared a moment of silence, drawing comfort from each other. Finally, she gently squeezed his hand and led him to the oversized movie room with a giant TV.

Just as they reached the top of the stairs, Henrik wheeled out, closing the door behind him. "You know, I'm not feeling that great," he said with a crestfallen expression his older brother didn't buy for a second. "I think you guys should watch it without me. I've seen it twice. It's really good, Care. You'll love it. I promise." Klaus nodded and moved behind him to push his chair, but Henrik smacked at him. "I'm _fine_, Nik. I just need a nap. I'll catch up with you two later. Let me know what you think, ok, Care?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course. We can talk about it tomorrow. Feel better, ok?" She leaned down and hugged him, a gesture repeated by his caretaker.

Once Henrik was out of sight, Klaus opened the door and walked into stunned silence. The troublemaking matchmaker had lit candles and decorated the room for Valentine's day. They both looked around uncomfortably as they took in the romantic setting. Neither one of them had a clue how to play a love scene. He gulped, his throat suddenly dry.

"That brat set us up," he said to himself as much to her. The lights were low and the air was fragrant with the smell of several dozen bouquets of red and white roses decorating every piece of furniture _except _the giant plush sofa.

"He really went all out, that little twerp," the blonde commented with a chuckle. What was going on here? She was in a candle lit almost movie theater with a guy she kind of liked. It was like the twilight zone.

Klaus cleared his throat, unsure how to respond to the romantic lighting, chocolate covered strawberries and sparkling white grape juice in crystal champagne flutes. There he was with a beautiful and talented woman who cared enough to look around the room awestruck. His neck was suddenly hot, a blush creeping upwards until his ears were fire. Sweat dripped down his temple as panic tightened his chest. He was a stranger in a strange land surrounded by the mist of roses and fragrance of expectations he didn't know and couldn't meet. _What the hell was he supposed to do?_

"So it would appear," he finally replied awkwardly, rubbing the scalding flesh at the back of his neck. Damn his little brother for putting him in this position. She'd been with hundreds of men, all of whom had set her up only to throw her away. He couldn't imagine how cliché the entire thing must have been to his costar. _Would she think he'd had something to do with this? _That he was blatantly trying to get her alone in a dark room? The caretaker cared for her too much to be just another guy who took advantage of her. He'd have to make her see that he wasn't trying to repeat the same pattern that made her feel so _alone._

Klaus did the only gentlemanly thing of which he could think while his heart attacked his ribcage. He took a seat on the far end of the plush sofa and extended the leg rest, his body at a 90-degree angle that left plenty of space between himself and the spot he offered her with a sweeping gesture of his muscular forearm. "Shall we?"

Caroline turned to him and knew his uncomfortable expression. _He didn't want to be here. _Her sapphire eyes flickered as her smile momentarily wavered before she snapped it back into place as she had her entire life as the actress in the script she had written. She'd lived her life as her own director, singing to the tune she wrote in her head. This wasn't her song. This wasn't her play. She wasn't the woman who stuck around where she wasn't wanted. She knew when to take a final bow and skip the encore as the crowd dissipated before the curtain closed. That was her starring role and she was nothing if not the leading lady.

With a gracious smile, she fell into character. "I don't know how Henrik got his little hacker hands on this, but he obviously went to a lot of trouble." She looked around the room to avoid his gaze and gulped down the unnamed emotions bubbling just beneath the surface. "It's late and he's not been doing well on the ganciclovir. We should wait until he can join us. I should go."

Klaus was on his feet before she made it to the door. "You don't have to," he said quickly. He knew her expression, too. It was the same smiling mask of rejection she'd worn after hustling the male nurse out of an extra shot of morphine when Henrik's pain was too much to bear. _Her pain was too much to bear._ It hurt him to know she saw him as she did that man who had treated her so poorly. That did something decent only because she'd earned that favor on her knees.

"My brother's gone to bed, so perhaps it's best if we don't watch this tonight, but surely we can find something else to do." He realized how that must have sounded when she subconsciously took a step back. He hadn't even realized how closely they'd been standing until he saw her eyes briefly widen. Quickly backtracking, he opened the door and suggested, "We could rehearse. Clearly my lyrical retention is lacking. I'm sure the music for 'Life Support' is still on the piano."

Rehearse. Of course, he wanted to rehearse. As soon as the show was over, he would graduate and be free to move to California. It was what Henrik wanted, and despite her issues with men, she loved that little boy with what little she had to give. No, she wasn't going to force her way into their lives when they were so close to being free of Boston... of her.

"Your harmonies were on point," she complimented with a smile they both knew was fake as she backed into the hallway. "I'm just gonna go. You should probably check on Henrik."

The actor stood there mentally fumbling to find the right words to apologize for the entire debacle in a way that wouldn't make him seem like just another loser trying to get in her pants. "Caroline," he called after her just as she made it to the giant staircase. He had no idea what to say, his lungs suddenly devoid of air.

"It's ok," she tossed over her shoulder as she quickly descended the marble steps before he could offer to walk her out. She didn't need an escort to know it was time to leave. "I know the way. I'll show myself out."

The front door closed before he remembered how to breathe.


	6. Forget This Cold Bohemian Hell

A/N Welcome back to my emotional rollercoaster. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the few of you who take the time to review. You have no idea how much it brightens up my day, especially since this story isn't particularly popular. If you like it, please take a minute to tell me how you feel! Anything in particular stand out? Bits of dialogue? Any guesses what's going to happen? It's a slow burn, I know, but rest assured: there will be smut. On with the show!

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**Chapter Six – Forget This Cold Bohemian Hell**

"Why do you look like the world just ran out of hair gel?"

Stefan looked at his best friend, unamused. She climbed up on the apron to sit beside him center stage, their feet dangling just above the auditorium floor. "Caroline, don't even joke about that."

The blonde snorted and gave him a look, tilting her head to the side. They'd known each other since they were toddlers; he couldn't fool her. "Jokes aside, what's up?" Sighing, the director pulled a crumpled up piece of paper out of his back pocket and handed it to her. Her eyes perused the letter from the prestigious California school of Theater and Performance studies. "OHMIGOD!" she gasped, throwing her arms around him. "You got into Stanford? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"It's not that big a deal," he said dismissively, taking the useless paper back and stuffing it away where he didn't have to look at it.

"Stefan!" She playfully smacked his toned chest. "A PhD is a _huge _fucking deal! Why are you not freaking out right now?!" The senior looked at her, his face impassive. There was something behind his chocolate eyes that gave her pause. She pulled back and studied him, trying to figure out what he was thinking. Realization dawning, her face fell. "Money."

"Yep," he replied simply. Stefan was the younger of two siblings and had been the heir to millions. Growing up, they'd wanted for naught. Once they came of age, his older brother, Damon, had blown through the Salvatore family's substantial fortune paying off his gambling debts. He showed up every year or so begging for money, but that was the only time they saw his rouge sibling.

While Caroline didn't have any proof, she knew in her gut that Klaus had funded the tuition payment that had magically appeared right before the pair retreated to their tiny town of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The only reason they would have had a house to go home _to _was because her mother, Liz, had put up her house as collateral to take out a loan to buy Stefan's family's boarding house. Lily Salvatore was running it as a bed and breakfast to pay her back. She made enough to get by, but there was nothing left at the end of the month to send to her youngest son.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Stefan scoffed, looking down at his second hand designer shoes. "Can you make a big fat scholarship magically appear?" Sighing as she shook her head, she patted his thigh sympathetically. Her phone vibrated in her bag; it was a relief. "Saved by the notification." Taking in her frown at the screen, he teased, "Now you look like the world just ran out of condoms. Why the long face?"

"It's nothing," she replied with a frown. With a mischievous grin, he ripped the phone out of her hand. "Hey! Give that back!" She smacked at him, but he held it just beyond her reach.

"Care to join me for dinner, sweetheart?" he quoted in a British accent. "Ooo, looks like somebody has a date."

"Don't you dare!" she squealed as he tapped out a quick, 'Love to.' The reply came seconds later that he would be there in a couple of hours. Laughing, he relinquished the phone. "Dick," she spat, gritting her teeth together as she tucked it away in her bag. "I would have said no."

"Why? It's obvious you like the guy."

"I do not _like _him," she countered with a sneer. "He's just Henrik's brother." She looked away, unable to meet his eye. It was true, wasn't it? After the _incident _the week before, she wasn't sure he liked her at all. She'd stayed up all night thinking about it. By the time the sun came up, she'd decided to let the entire thing go. Not that there was anything _to _let go, of course. She'd seen the look in Klaus' eyes when he'd thought he was stuck on a semi-date with her. Usually men didn't want her gone that much until after she'd gone down a few times. In the millionaire's world, she wasn't even good for that. He was her student's older brother – nothing more.

Henrik. That little troublemaker. She hung her head and closed her sapphire eyes, inhaling a deep breath to ground herself. Stefan watched her curiously as she pulled her phone back out and sent a text.

_Henrik, delete those messages and give your bother back his phone. -C_

The response came mere seconds later.

_What messages? -H_

_You know what messages. Get rid of them. Now. -C_

_No, seriously. I don't have his phone. What happened? What did he say? Do I need to smack him? -H_

_You'd better not be messing with me right now. I'm not in the mood. -C_

_I'm not! -H_

_Ugh. Fine. I have to go. -C_

_? What happened?! -H_

"Well, there goes that theory," she groaned with a grimace. Turning to her best friend, she explained, "Henrik keeps trying to pull some shit. I thought it was him, but he swears it wasn't." She wasn't sure she believed him. He had the means to send texts to both of their phones to make it look like the other began the conversation. The truth was that they hadn't talked since the night she'd let herself out to spare him the trouble. She knew Klaus well enough to know that if he showed up and realized it was a set-up, he wouldn't say anything. He was too much of a gentleman to come right out and say that he didn't want to be around her, but she wasn't the type to linger when she wasn't wanted, and she was convinced he didn't. They were moving to California. Henrik would be gone, and she would be in Boston. Alone. At least Stefan would be in good company when he left, too. She was sure she could come up with a way to get him to Stanford; the hard part had been getting in.

"Alright, spill. What aren't you telling me?"

"Nothing," Caroline shot back just a little too quickly to be believable. At Stefan's raised brow, she finally conceded, telling him everything. "So, yeah. I don't like him, and he doesn't like me. They're moving as soon as Henrik gets better." Emotion flickered across her face before she forced a bright smile. "At least you'll know someone in California."

The senior rolled his eyes. "There's no way I'm going, Caroline. And from what you've told me, it doesn't sound like they are, either." There was a gravity to his normally upbeat tone that she didn't want to look at too closely. He was right, and she knew it. Henrik would probably never be able to leave Boston, but that didn't change the fact that Klaus was willing to take him away. "And even if they do, and I do, there's no reason you couldn't come along."

"What?!" she asked incredulously, making a face at him. "What the hell would I do in California? I'm a couple of months away from graduating. I'm not getting into Stanford at the last minute, and I don't even want to go to grad school."

"Oh, please. If you wanted to go, all you'd have to do is tell Henrik. He'd make big brother write a big fat check, and that would be the end of it."

The actress hmphed. That was quite enough emotional talk for one day. She'd opened up, hadn't she? That was more than she'd have done a year ago because that was more than she'd _felt _a year ago. Part of her had been tempted to just find a guy and have a quickie, but Klaus' words about not throwing herself at people kept coming back to her. She didn't want to think about that too closely, either.

"You don't know what you're talking about. And besides," she deflected as she grabbed the remote from beside him, "if you and I are going anywhere, it's not going to be California." With a mischievous twinkle in her eye, she turned on the music to, 'Santa Fe.' "New York City: center of the universe."

Laughing, Stefan took her hand and got to his feet. "Sing it, girl."

"Times are shitty," she sang in her sweet soprano, "but I'm pretty sure they can't get worse."

"I hear that." Stefan was playing Angel, the show's leading drag queen, but Caroline had clearly highjacked that role. She was _such _a drama queen. He loved it.

"It's a comfort to know, when you're singing the hit the road blues, that anywhere else you could possibly go after New York would be..." She paused for dramatic effect, an impish grin lighting up her porcelain cheeks. "A pleasure cruise."

"Now you're talking." Stefan grinned at her as he fell into the role of Collins, Angel's boyfriend. "Well, I'm thwarted by a metaphysic puzzle, and I'm sick of grading papers that are low. And I'm shouting in my sleep; I need a muzzle. And all this misery pays no salary, so." Caroline hooked her arms and his as the two swung around in a silly dance. "Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe. Oh, sunny Santa Fe would be nice. We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe, and leave this to the roaches and mice."

"Oh oh oh," she harmonized with him. It was a song about getting the hell out of town, and that sounded good to her, but there was no way she following after Klaus like some lovesick idiot. If he wanted to be free of her, that was his choice. So, why was her stomach fluttering at the thought of seeing him again? Pushing that thought aside, she stayed in character. It was easier to be Angel than to be Caroline. To be _anybody _other than herself. She was the town slut, and there was only one man who didn't see her that way. _Because he wasn't interested. _

"You teach?" she asked as Angel.

"Yeah, I teach, computer age philosophy, but my students would rather watch TV." It always marveled her how good an actor her best friend was. She would make it her life's mission to get him to continue his education. He would make a fine addition to the Broadway community. And he deserved it. He'd always been a hard worker, but he was an even better best friend. No one could get her mind off her troubles better than Stefan.

"America." She held out her hands dramatically as they danced.

"America. You're a sensitive aesthete, brush the sauce onto the meat; you can make the menu sparkle with rhyme. You can drum a gentle drum. I could seat guests as they come, chatting not about Heidegger, but wine." As they acted it out, she could almost picture what it would be like to have a completely different life, one where she didn't treat herself like a piece of sauced meat. "Let's open up a restaurant in Santa Fe. Our labors would reap financial gains. We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe, and save from devastation our brains."

"Save our brains," she echoed, a smile lighting up her face as they harmonized. "We'll pack up all our junk and fly so far away. Devote ourselves to projects that sell. We'll open up a restaurant in Santa Fe."

"Forget this cold Bohemian Hell." That was an understatement. It had been a brutal winter, and there was still a month left before spring. "Do you know the way to Santa Fe? You know, tumbleweeds, prairie dogs, yeah."

The pair collapsed onto the steel table center stage, laughing as they returned to themselves. Caroline's phone chimed again; she groaned as she remembered her not-a-date with the guy who didn't even like her.

_Nik is getting ready to come get you! I swear, I didn't do it this time! -H_

_You'd better not have. I know where you sleep! -C_

_:O –H_

_Have fun! And then call me. You know how hard it is getting anything out of Nik. -H_

_You are *such* a snoop! -C_

_Little brother's prerogative. ;) -H_

The actress rolled her eyes as she put her phone away. She looked to the director, unamused by his familiar smirk. Scoffing, she petulantly crossed her arms over her chest. "I don't know why you had to text him back."

"I did you a favor."

"You _really _didn't." As far as she was concerned, he'd backed her into a corner. She would look like a real brat if she backed out, so what choice did she have?

"Oh, I didn't mean that." He got up from the table, tossing over his shoulder, "I have something that I know for a fact will cheer you right the fuck up." She sincerely doubted that, but her curiosity was piqued as he disappeared backstage. A squeal erupted from the back of her throat when he returned with a garment bag in hand, smug grin illuminating his handsome face beneath his hero hair. "Is that what I think it is?!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands together happily.

"One 'Mimi' costume, as requested."

Caroline grabbed the bag, the hook stinging his hand on the way. She ripped away the cover and looked over the barely-there outfit. It was a combination of the Broadway classic and movie costumes. Short, ruffled aqua sequined boy shorts, knee-high leather boots, tie-on black bra beneath a stylishly ripped mesh tank top, and on top of all of it, a god-awful Mumu-style robe. "It's perfect!" Without hesitation, she whipped off her shirt and shucked her Uggs.

"Really?" Stefan raised his brow at his best friend stripping center stage. He shouldn't have been surprised; it was hardly the first time he'd seen her naked. The bubbly blonde had very little regard for privacy anyway, and none in front of her long-time roommate. They'd been living together since coming to Boston 3 ½ years ago. Playing a stripper was the perfect role for her. Stefan just hoped that eventually she would stop _living _that role. While she'd never taken to the pole, sometimes he wouldn't put it passed her. Half of BU had seen her on her knees already. He still wasn't sure how he felt about Klaus, but he was hopeful that maybe he'd be able to reach her someday.

Ignoring him completely, Caroline tugged off her jeans and quickly donned the costume, happily pulling up the zipper on the heeled boots. "How do I look?"

"Like a stripper."

"Perfect! Hit it." Shaking his head, Stefan waited until she was at the top of the on-stage stairs to turn on 'Out Tonight.' It was an up-tempo rock song about seduction – Caroline's specialty. While the lights were up and there was no audience, she still fell into full drama queen. She struck a pose when the music began, swaying her hips and shaking her ass in time with the funky beat. Some of the dance moves were gymnastic bordering on vulgar; she reveled in it.

"My body's talking to me; it says, 'Time for danger.' It says, 'I wanna commit a crime, wanna be the cause of a fight. Wanna put on a tight skirt and flirt with a stranger.'" She rolled her belly, rubbing her hands up and down her toned figure before dramatically opening the robe and tossing it over her shoulder. Mounting the bars of the balcony, she sang, "I've had a knack from way back at breaking the rules once I learn the games. Get up – life's too quick! I know someplace sick where this chick'll dance in the flames!"

When Klaus walked in through the main entrance, his breath caught in his chest. Stefan looked over and caught his eye, giving a small nod and a knowing smile. The older man looked away, embarrassed that he'd been caught staring. He managed to avert his eyes for a whole ten seconds before his feet automatically moved forward. _She was mesmerizing. _Taking a seat halfway down the orchestra section of the large theater, he openly gawked at her erotic performance.

Caroline swung up and down on the bars, hips gyrating provocatively as she played the stripper. "You wanna play? Let's run away! We won't be back before it's Christmas Day! When I get a wink from the doorman, do you know how lucky you'll be that you're on line with the feline of Avenue B!" As he watched her dance, Klaus felt his jeans tighten along with his throat, heart racing in his chest. "Take me out tonight Let's go out tonight. I have to go out tonight. You wanna prowl? Be my night owl! Well take my hand – we're gonna howl out tonight!" She was so distracted by her character, so lost in the role, that she didn't notice the director discreetly check his phone.

_Did it work? -H_

_Yep. -S_

Knowing he would have to stand-in for Roger soon enough, he tucked away his phone right after getting a ping from his bank to alert him that a rather generous donation had been deposited in his dwindling account.

Caroline spread her legs in an impressive split as she sat dangling from the center railing when the song reached the slow point. She dragged out the notes; it really highlighted her talent as a vocalist. "In the evening, I've got to roam, can't sleep in the city of neon and chrome. Feels too damn much like home, when the Spanish babies cry." Smiling, she pulled herself to her feet, balancing precariously on the steel rod as she belted out, "So let's find a bar so dark we forget who we are, and all the scars from the nevers and maybes die!"

All the way down the stairs, she wiggled her ass and flashed the audience of two her cleavage. "Let's go out tonight. I have to go out tonight. You're sweet – wanna hit the streets? Wanna wail at the moon like a cat in heat? Just take me out tonight." Stefan had to bite back a laugh when she climbed on all fours on the table, seductively crawling towards him. "Please take me out tonight. Don't forsake me. Out tonight. I'll let you make me howl tonight." When she straddled him, grinding her pelvis against his, Klaus had to remind himself that his temporary understudy was gay. Their lips nearly brushed as she blasted the final lines. "Tonight, tonight, tonight, tonight!"

The actress collapsed on her director's chest in a fit of bubbly laughter. It wasn't until their giggling subsided that Caroline finally noticed Klaus standing at the apron. His gaze roved appreciatively up and down her scantily clad body; she was suddenly painfully aware that she was half naked and laying atop her best friend. Their eyes locked, matching blushes staining their cheeks. She awkwardly forced a smile and crawled off Stefan and hopped down from the table.

"You're early," she said shyly, tucking a messy tendril behind her ear, face puffy as she still struggled to catch her breath from the intense exotic dancing. Her body was dewy with sweat, and Klaus' heated gaze did nothing to cool her off.

"Not early enough." At the sight of her eyes widening in shock, he quickly amended, "Roger is in that scene. I missed a chance to rehearse."

"Oh!" she quipped, both relieved and slightly disappointed. Of course he was referring to acting. Why else would he want to see her as Mimi? It was better that way, since he'd be out of her life soon enough. "Right, yeah, well, it was kind of last minute," she explained apologetically. "I didn't mean to make you wait. Stefan surprised me with my costume, and I just _had _to try it out."

"I can see that." The guitarist wore an amused smirk as he nodded his sandy blonde head at her pile of discarded clothing. He'd missed her in the days since they'd spoken. She called Henrik night and day, of course, but they'd been avoiding each other. He couldn't blame her, really. When his little brother had pressured him into asking her to dinner, he'd been certain she'd say no. A weight was lifted from his chest when her reply was immediate. Looking at her now, he was glad he'd given in and sent her a text. And he was glad he'd shown up on time. She'd put on quite the show.

Caroline pressed her lips together when she saw what he was looking at, an impish gleam in her sapphire eyes. "I'm not good at waiting." Flushing, she walked over and picked it up, missing how he blatantly stared at her ass in the tiny shorts while her back was turned. She seriously could not face him after that. For someone who spent so much time naked, she really wanted to put some clothes on. He was too polite to say it, but she was sure he regretted offering to pick her up. He'd made it perfectly clear that he had no interest in method acting. He already thought of her as a slut who threw herself at everyone with a penis; the last thing she needed was to spend any longer in her stripper outfit. "I'm going to get changed."

"Maybe use the dressing room this time," Stefan teased playfully, earning him a middle finger as she stalked backstage without looking back, grimacing as her skin burned. Once she was out of earshot, he turned to Klaus with a knowing grin. "You enjoy the show?"

"She's an excellent dancer," he replied dismissively, doing his best to keep a straight face.

Sensing the caregiver's discomfort, the youngest Salvatore took pity on him and changed the subject. "How's your brother holding up?"

Klaus sighed, all thoughts of Caroline pushed the furthest recesses of his mind as he felt a twang of guilt. What was he doing going out and leaving Henrik alone? It wasn't like him to be so selfish, but he'd really wanted to see her. Their last evening together had ended so badly that he hadn't had the courage to face her in days. He inwardly cringed every time he thought about how badly she'd wanted to get away from him. It was easier to think about his brother than his complicated feelings for his co-star. "Not well," he finally answered. It was true. It had only been a couple of weeks since he'd gotten hit with a second type of hepatitis, but already he was losing weight, and his energy was nearly always drained.

"Listen, Caroline's been my best friend since we were two. You two are like family to her, so if there's anything you need, you can call me."

"Yes, Henrik is very attached to her," he replied evasively, refusing to acknowledge that he was part of the equation. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't think there's anything you can do. I'm with him most of the time. Been that way for years." His tone was melancholy as he stared down at his watch. "I won't keep her out late. I actually should be getting back to him soon. We'll probably just grab a quick bite."

Stefan shrugged, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. "It's not much, but I'd be happy to hang out with him if you two want to take your time."

Klaus' eyebrows shot up in surprise. His own siblings hadn't even made such an offer in years. On one hand, it wasn't in his nature to accept outside help, but on the other, Stefan was someone Caroline trusted. The thought of having someone with his little brother was tempting. "You don't have plans?" he asked tentatively, eyeing the other man carefully.

"I definitely do not." Stefan thought wearily about his soon-to-be empty bank account. The money from Henrik would get him caught up on a few bills, but there wouldn't be anything left to go out. The least he could do was thank him in person, plus it spared him yet another night of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"That's very nice of you," the actor said thoughtfully as he considered it for a moment. "I'd like to take you up on it, actually. Do you know your way to the house?"

The director scoffed. "Please. I've dropped Care off and picked her up so many times that I even know your gate code."

Klaus smiled gratefully as Stefan hopped off the stage. He reached out to grab his shoulder, nodding his head. "Thank you. I won't keep you too late."

"Take your time. Your brother's actually pretty cool. It'll be a good night for all of us. I'll call her if anything comes up."

"Please do," he replied seriously. "Take my number, too, just in case."

"Sure." The men swapped phones to add each other's contact info before Stefan left him waiting for their friend. He sent a quick text to his brother to let him know the younger man was on the way. The immediate response was a colorful dancing emoji.

"Henrik ok?" Caroline asked, having heard his ringtone.

"Elated," he replied with a smile, offering her his arm. She gladly took it as they walked down the aisle of the orchestra section. "Stefan offered to go sit with him."

"Oh, that's awesome!" Her tone was bright as she thought of her two favorite guys hanging out. They would no doubt listen to showtunes and gossip about her and Klaus. "Where are we going?" she asked once they were in his Porsche.

"Wherever you'd like," he shrugged. "Not pizza."

The actress laughed out loud at his serious expression. "You pick then."

"Basile?"

Caroline made a face, peering down at her jeans and blouse. "Too formal. O'Leary's?"

"Too casual," he countered, shaking his head. "Mei Mei?"

"Deal."

They drove in silence for a few minutes, the heater warming them in the frigid winter air. Caroline was busy replying to her texts; he waited until she was finished to bring up what he did _not _want to talk about. Klaus looked over at her tentatively, his voice almost shy. "I wasn't sure you'd come."

"Why wouldn't I?" Her reply came with a bright smile, but she wasn't _that _good an actress.

The law student looked over at her, his expression blank as he kept his voice even. "You left rather abruptly the other night." He'd been dreading bringing it up, but he had to. The whole thing had been weighing heavily on his mind. He kept his eyes on the road as he anxiously awaited her response.

"Henrik was tired," she replied quickly, not wanting to have this conversation. "Plus, it was getting late. And he went to all that trouble to hack us a copy of _Tick… Tick… Boom! _It's a great show. Jonathan Larson was a genius. It's all about life while he was writing Rent the year he turned thirty. It's got some awesome ballads. I'd love to sing, 'Come to Your Senses.' It's a showstopper, for sure. It wouldn't have been cool to watch it without Henrik. But it's fine. We can watch it another night. Like, there's no _bad _time to watch a musical, right? And it-"

"Caroline," he interjected, cutting off her rambling. She looked over at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Emotions weren't her strongest suit. "I didn't have anything to do with Henrik's little setup. Surely, you must know I'm not trying to seduce you. I'm not like the men on Tinder."

"I'm aware." She looked morosely out the window and said no more. She knew all too well that he was the only straight man in Boston completely disinterested in the only thing she felt she had to offer. It bothered her more than she cared to admit. She never knew how to act around him, what to say, how to dress. It confused the hell out of her.

Klaus eyed her speculatively from behind the wheel. Reaching over, he took her hand in his, relieved when she didn't pull away. "I don't like the way they treat you," he said softly.

"I treat them the same way."

"Well, I wish you wouldn't." His tone was melancholy as he thought about all the men who'd used her only to throw her away.

Caroline snorted and rolled her eyes. "Look, I _like _having sex, ok? It's my body; I can do whatever I want with it. And frankly, it's not any of your business." She pulled her hand away and crossed her arms over her chest. "Just because you're not interested doesn't mean nobody else is."

The guitarist nodded his head, looking away. The tension in the air was thick, palpable, visceral. While they were only a foot apart, he could feel the distance between them. It wasn't until they reached the restaurant and reached the queue for the valet that he finally spoke, voice barely audible. "It isn't as if I've never thought about it." Her sapphire eyes darted to his, surprise and confusion reflected in their depths. "I'm not blind. I've told you before that I'm aware how beautiful you are, but I see how you are with your… dates. You delete their numbers and forget their names."

"If I even get a name," she added darkly.

"That's my point, sweetheart." He reached over again and took her hand, squeezing it gently as he implored her to look at him. She reluctantly looked over, worrying her lower lip. She wasn't one for self-reflection, but since she'd started hanging out with Klaus, it had gotten harder and harder for her to open her hookup apps. Every time she looked through the endless profiles, she flashbacked to when he'd so gently covered her body with his jacket and told her she was worth more than that. "I don't have many friends, but I consider you among them. I loathe the idea of losing that. One night isn't worth that. It would never be enough."

Caroline's heart fluttered in her chest at his confession. Not only had he thought about it, but had done so enough to know he'd rather be friends than have only one night. A night was a long time; her dates didn't last that long. And there was almost never a second. She'd had a few guys, and girls, over the years that stuck around for a couple of weeks or months, but they weren't _friends. _They'd meet up for sex and then go their separate ways. And then they went away, and she found new ones. It was an endless cycle, and she was starting to hate it. She sighed and smiled at him sadly, squeezing his hand. "No, it probably wouldn't."

They were pulled from the moment by a sharp knock on the window. Klaus glared at the valet menacingly, and for a moment Caroline was reminded of the way he'd knocked out Tyler Lockwood. Instead, he let go of her hand and unbuckled his seatbelt, frowning. "Come on. Let's get something to eat."

"Sounds good to me. I'm starved." She popped out of the Porsche, grateful for the interruption. They chit chatted idly until dinner arrived, both of them feeling better after their awkward conversation in the car. It wasn't until dessert that silence descended upon them. "So… What do you want to talk about?"

Klaus smiled at her as he finished off his chocolate mousse. "I want to talk about you," he answered honestly. It was strange having known her for years, but not really knowing anything about her. "Your hopes, your dreams… everything you want in life."

"Wow," she chuckled, nibbling at her cake. "Laying it on kind of thick, aren't you?"

"Sorry," he laughed apologetically, flashing her his dimples. "I'm not very good at this."

"Good at what?" she asked, sipping her cherry coke through a straw. His eyes darkened as he watched her tongue dart between her lips to catch a stray drop. She didn't notice as she stared at him, utterly clueless.

"Oh, you know," he replied, gesturing between them, "taking a girl to dinner. It's not exactly my area of expertise."

"You make it sound like a date." She nibbled her lower lip as she watched him hopefully, a slight blush staining his sculpted cheeks. "Is it?"

Klaus' raspberry lips fell open in surprise. "Um… I don't know. I haven't been on too many of them."

"Me either." He raised his brow at her; she laughed. "Ok, well, maybe I have, but not like this. My dates don't generally involve food…" Her thoughts deviated to an interesting evening involving cucumbers and whipped cream, but she thought better of mentioning that to the virgin sitting across form her. "I guess this is unchartered territory for both of us."

"Well, regardless, I'm enjoying myself." She nodded her agreement, smiling at him with a genuinely bright smile. It was nice, spending time with Klaus, with a guy who wasn't trying to get in her pants. Although, there were times that she saw his eyes darken in a way that was all too familiar. It gave her butterflies that she couldn't explain, but didn't hate. It was strange, the way the law student made her feel, but she liked it.

As they waited for the valet to bring the Porsche, Klaus checked in with his little brother while Caroline checked in with her best friend. "Sounds like they're having fun," she said with a shrug. "Guess there's no rush."

"Apparently not. Henrik said the same." He tucked his phone away in his pocket, shuffling from foot to foot as he peered up at her from beneath long lashes. "So… Would you like to continue our evening?"

"Um, yeah, we can do that." The both looked at each other, unsure what came next, each waiting for the other to speak. The valet pulled up before they figured it out.

Klaus pulled out onto the street, music playing softly on the stereo. After driving aimlessly for a few minutes, he finally broke the silence. "I need to know where I'm going, sweetheart."

"Wherever you want," she replied, bouncing the decision back to him.

"Well, I'd say we can just go to the house, but if Henrik is up for socializing, I really don't want to take that away from him." It had been a long time since the ailing teenager had had anyone to hang out with in person. He was very popular online, but it was rare he saw anyone in person. It was easier to pretend he wasn't frail and fragile on Discord than it was in real life. He didn't want to live in the real world; he was happier pretending to be healthy. "Would you like to go for a walk in the Commons?"

"Too cold." She nodded her head at the falling snow; it was freezing.

"Oh, right," he replied with chagrin. He was terrible at this. He'd been on dates before, but it had been a long time, and he hadn't really enjoyed it. The women who came to him were always after his money and the status that came along with being a Mikaelson. He wasn't about to marry a gold digger. Given that she wouldn't even accept his small deposits to her bank account, he doubted she cared too much about his substantial wealth. "Anywhere you'd like to go?"

"We could go to my place," she blurted out, blushing when she realized how it'd sounded. Taking a man home was her default setting. She scrambled to collect her thoughts, anxious to correct herself. "Just to hang out, I mean. Obviously, like, I'm not trying to get you to _take me home_," she explained, making fingers quotes. "Like, I have Netflix and Hulu and stuff. We could watch a movie, or just talk. Whatever." Anxiety hummed through her veins as she waited for his answer, hoping she hadn't blown it.

Klaus grinned with dimples; her rambling amused him these days. "I knew what you meant, love." She blushed, fiddling her gloved hands in her lap. "A movie sounds perfect." After a beat, he added sternly, "But not a musical. Henrik has been playing them on a loop for weeks."

"He learned from me," she replied with a laugh at his grimace. "Ok, ok, no musicals. Since it's my house, I'll let you pick."

Caroline regretted that decision half an hour later. "What do you mean no? _The King's Speech _is a fantastic movie."

"If we're watching something from that year, it's going to be _Black Swan," _she replied flippantly, wondering if he knew there was a hot lesbian scene in the Oscar-winner.

"No." His flustered reply confirmed that he did, apparently. "How about a documentary?"

"How about not?" After fifteen minutes of bickering about genres, they agreed on a comedy. "_How _have you never seen _Silver Linings Playbook? _It won like fifteen billion awards!"

Klaus just shrugged, reading the description. It seemed tame enough. "I haven't seen a lot of things."

"You watch documentaries," she pointed out, expression blank and unimpressed.

"What's wrong with documentaries? They're very informative."

"More like very boring. You need to lighten up. Come on, give it a chance. We can always turn it off," she goaded, giving him puppy dog eyes.

He rolled his at her before pressing play. "Fine, but I reserve the right to change my mind."

"Isn't that the woman's prerogative?" she teased, settling back into the fluffy cushions of her couch. He glared at her but said nothing. "Will you pull the string on that lamp? The light is blocking my view."

"Better?" he asked once the room was cast in the dim light shining in from the kitchen.

"Yeah, thanks," she replied distractedly, eyes on the screen. It was a quirky comedy about two people struggling with mental illness. While it was one of her favorites, she completely forgot the scene where Jennifer Lawrence takes her top off. She peeked over at Klaus only to see that he was doing the same. They shared an awkward smile before returning their attention back to the TV after the scene passed.

Klaus looked down at her hands resting in her lap. He could smell her perfume, the scent of Asian food wafting from her shiny golden locks. It was strange, being in a dark room with Caroline, but it was a nice kind of uncomfortable. He tentatively reached out and took her hand in hers. She looked over at him in surprise, smiling at his anxious expression. He really had no idea what he was doing. Then again, neither did she. Taking his hand felt right, so she did. After a few minutes, she risked pulling his arm over her shoulder. Following her cue, he pulled her closer, until her head fell on his muscular chest. Eventually, she pulled her legs up and curled into him, enjoying the way he gently rubbed her back up and down.

It was nice, snuggling with Klaus. The young actress wasn't accustomed to that kind of physical affection. She wasn't used to affection at all. All she knew was getting naked and getting off. Sitting with her co-star somehow felt more intimate even than that. He made no move to touch her anymore than he already was, but that didn't stop his heart from beating erratically in his chest. He kept missing parts of the movie because he was too focused on wondering if there was something he was supposed to do, or something he shouldn't do. He followed her cues to know when to laugh, but he didn't really know what was going on in the film. She was far more interesting.

All too soon, the credits rolled. She lifted her head, their mouths dangerously close as the tension between them grew thick. For someone who'd been alone with more men than she could count, more than she wanted to count, Caroline had no idea what to do. Unfortunately, neither did Klaus. Gulping, she asked the first thing that came to mind. "Did you like the movie?"

"What?" He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Oh, yes. It was very well done."

"Yeah, it's one of my favorites." They sat there, bodies still intertwined, for long moments as they each waited for the other to make a move. Neither of them did.

Finally, the ending music finished. Clearing his throat, Klaus pulled away to turn on the lamp. "It's getting late. I promised Stefan I wouldn't keep him too long."

"I don't think he minds," she replied, not wanting him to go.

The actor sighed, smiling slightly at his date. He knew she was right, that the gay man had told him to take his time, but guilt clawed at him. He couldn't help it, worrying about his little brother. As much as he was enjoying her company, he knew it was time to call it a night. He had to go home, and she had to stay. "Probably not, but still. I like to keep my promises."

"Ok." She reluctantly got to her feet and followed him to the door. "I had fun tonight."

"As did I." He turned around after pulling on his leather jacket; they were nose to nose. She hadn't meant to crowd him, at least not consciously. Her heart fluttered as she looked into his eyes. They stared at each other for long moments, waiting. He tentatively put his hand on her hip, just to see what she'd do. She leaned into him, running her tongue along her lower lip. Slowly, he leaned down and barely touched his mouth to hers. They both pulled back, silently assessing the other. The temperature in the room seemed to rise as they gauged each other's reaction. Caroline leaned up, brushing her lips against his; a rush went through her. Closing his eyes, Klaus wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her closer.

Unsure what to do, he let her take the lead. She wrapped her arms around his neck, idly toying with his short curls. She licked at the seam of his lips, tasting him. He opened his mouth and let her explore the inside with her tongue. Caroline wasn't much of a kisser, generally preferring to skip that part and get right to the orgasms, but kissing Klaus was electric. The stood by the door, tongues dancing as they held each other close, until both of them were panting. Pulling away, he rested his forehead against her for long moments as he caught his breath.

"That was…"

"Mmhmm."

They broke apart and smiled at each other, blushing. He took her hand and squeezed it. "I'll call you tomorrow," he promised. She believed him. She watched him all the way to the car, staring appreciatively at his broad shoulders and jeans. Before climbing in the driver's side, he waved up at her, flashing her his dimples. When she closed the door behind her, a warmth engulfed her all the way to her bedroom. Grinning like an idiot, she fell into a dreamless sleep.

By the time she woke up, he'd already texted.

* * *

A/N Please let me know what you think! Reviews are my best motivator, and they've been kind of scarce lately. Hope you enjoyed it!


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